Duck Breeds — A Guide to Every Duck You'll Ever Meet

Duck Breeds — Know Your Ducks 🦆

There are over 120 species of wild duck and dozens of domestic breeds. Here's your field guide to the ones that matter.

Wild Ducks

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

The duck. The one everyone pictures. Green iridescent head (males), orange bill, the classic "quack." Found on every continent except Antarctica. Ancestor of nearly all domestic ducks.

• Size: 50-65cm
• Where: Everywhere. Literally everywhere with water.
• Fun fact: Mallards can hybridise with at least 40 other duck species.

Teal (Anas crecca)

Small, fast, and strikingly beautiful. The male has a chestnut head with a green eye-patch bordered in cream. Often seen in large winter flocks on UK wetlands.

• Size: 34-38cm
• Where: Throughout Europe and Asia. Winters on UK lakes and estuaries.
• Fun fact: The colour "teal" is literally named after this duck's eye-patch.

Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)

The supermodel of the duck world. Males have orange "sails," purple breast, green crown, and white eye-stripe. Native to East Asia but now established in the UK (escaped from collections).

• Size: 41-49cm
• Where: Originally China/Japan. Now also Surrey, apparently.
• Fun fact: In Chinese culture, Mandarin ducks symbolise lifelong love. They mate for life.

Eider (Somateria mollissima)

Big, stocky, and tough. The largest duck in the Northern Hemisphere. Famous for eider down — the softest, warmest natural insulation known.

• Size: 50-71cm
• Where: Northern coasts — Scotland, Scandinavia, Iceland, Arctic.
• Fun fact: Eider down is still hand-collected from nests (without harming the ducks) and sells for over £1,000 per kilogram.

Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula)

Black and white with a comedy tuft on the back of the head. Dives for food rather than dabbling. A UK park pond regular.

• Size: 40-47cm
• Where: Throughout Europe and Asia.
• Fun fact: They can stay underwater for up to 30 seconds per dive.

Domestic Breeds

Indian Runner

The ones that stand bolt upright like bowling pins. Originally from Indonesia (not India — the name is misleading). Bred for egg production — a good Runner lays 300+ eggs per year.

• Temperament: Active, nervous, runs rather than waddles
• Eggs: 200-300+ per year
• Best for: Slug control in gardens. They're pest-eating machines.

Khaki Campbell

The ultimate egg-laying duck. Developed in England by Adele Campbell in the late 1800s. Quiet, calm, and absurdly productive.

• Temperament: Calm, friendly, excellent foragers
• Eggs: 250-340 per year (more than most chickens)
• Best for: Backyard egg production

Pekin (American Pekin)

Big, white, friendly. The duck most people imagine when they think "domestic duck." Originally from China, brought to the US in the 1870s.

• Temperament: Friendly, social, excellent pets
• Eggs: 150-200 per year
• Best for: Pets, meat production, looking magnificent in a garden

Muscovy (Cairina moschata)

The rebel. Not descended from Mallards — an entirely separate species. Native to Central and South America. Has red facial caruncles (warty bits) and doesn't quack (hisses instead).

• Temperament: Quiet, docile, excellent mothers
• Eggs: 60-120 per year (fewer but larger)
• Best for: Pest control, meat, being weird and wonderful

Call Duck

Tiny. Adorable. Incredibly loud. Originally bred as living decoys to attract wild ducks within shooting range. Now kept as pets and show birds.

• Temperament: Friendly but very vocal
• Eggs: 25-75 per year
• Best for: Pets, exhibitions, annoying neighbours

Cayuga

Stunning iridescent black-green plumage that shimmers in sunlight. Named after Lake Cayuga in New York. Lays black eggs (that gradually lighten through the season).

• Temperament: Calm, hardy, cold-weather tolerant
• Eggs: 100-150 per year (starting black, ending white)
• Best for: Cold climates, ornamental, conversation starter at farmers' markets

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Choosing a Duck Breed

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Agent Quack's breed intelligence is updated seasonally. Report any unidentified ducks to headquarters immediately. 🕵️‍♂️