'Protective' mother duck chases toddler away from her duckling

A funny video has emerged from the US of a three-year-old being chased by a mother duck after the toddler tried to touch her duckling.

The footage, captured in Tampa, Florida on May 9, shows little Hayden approaching the mother duck and her baby.

As he gets close to them, the mother starts chasing him.

''My three-year-old son, who adores ducks, went to the water's edge to get a closer look at the baby duck,'' the filmer later wrote online.

''The mother saw what was happening, she became very protective and started to screech, flap her wings and chase my son."