Duck - Call

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Alternative Name

Scientific Name: Anas platyrhynchos

Basic Info

Call Ducks are primarily known for their very small size, and they are often referred to as toy ducks. Their bodies are short, as are their legs, and they have thin necks. They appear in a variety of colors. The Blue-Fawn male Call Duck has a gray blue breast and dark red body. The bill is green. Female Blue-Fawns have light brown bills and blue body feathers. The Silver drake's head resembles a mallard and its breast is a wine color. They have gray and black backs and green bills. The Silver female is primarily brown and gray colored. Apricot drakes resemble the Blue-Fawn variety, although they are lighter in color. The duck, however, is apricot and gray in color. White Call Ducks, regardless of the sex, are entirely white. Mallard Call Duck drakes have green and white heads and purple breasts. The back is green and gray. The Mallard Call Duck is primarily brown. Pied drakes have the same green and white head as the mallard, with a white ring around the neck, white underside and white tail feathers. The female is similar in coloration, but often has more white.

Health

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Habitat

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Behavior

The Call Duck is a very small duck that is used both as a decoy when duck hunting and as an exhibition bird. They have a very loud quack, which they utilize primarily when separated from their mate. The name "Call Duck" is an apt one since they were often used to call ducks to them in the wild. A highly popular exhibition bird, the Call Duck is a sprightly little bird that is an able flyer. They lay large nests of eggs about once a year, and do not tend to brood. The Call Duck is very carefully bred so that there are few defects in the breed. Although the Call Duck usually only uses their quack when they are separated from their mate, they will also quack when excited. The Call Duck may well be the most popular pet duck in Europe.

Origin

Europe

History

The Call Duck was originally known as the Decoy, the name it is called in books by Lewis Wright and others. The name was changed to "Call Duck" in the 1890s. At the time of the change, the only color varieties known were the Mallard, also known as the dark or the grey variety, and the White. Lewis Wright said of the Call Duck that "The flesh is good; but there is too little to repay breeding them for the table, and their only proper place is on the lake."

Common Foods

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