The Harlequin duck is abundant during the breeding season in a few regions within its range, but only in remote areas inaccessible to most people in the Aleutian Islands. Recent population estimates place the Pacific population at 1 million individuals and the Atlantic population at 11,000 breeding pairs.
The harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) is a small sea duck. It takes its name from Harlequin (French Arlequin, Italian Arlecchino), a colourfully dressed character in Commedia dell'arte. The species name comes from the Latin word "histrio", meaning "actor". In North America it is also known as lords and ladies.
With their whimsical, colorful appearance, harlequin ducks are a favorite of birders and park visitors. In the West, harlequins are found from Wyoming to Alaska, breeding in mountain streams and wintering on the coast.
Other Names
When interacting, Harlequin Ducks make distinctly unducklike squeaks, from whence comes one of its colloquial names, sea mouse. This species' common name (harlequin) and scientific name (histrionicus) of the Harlequin Duck refer to the almost theatrical nature of the male's colorful plumage.
A group of Madagascar pochards, the world's rarest duck once feared lost, has been released into the wild as part of a pioneering conservation project to save this critically endangered bird from extinction.
The Madagascar Pochard | The world's rarest duck.
Welsh Harlequin ducks are fairly quiet, as far as ducks go. The hens typically make more noise than drakes – especially when their daily feed ration is late or they are laying an egg.
It is docile and placid and doesn't fly and is happy to stay in the orchard or garden where it forages enthusiastically for insects. It has a high libido so don't keep more than one drake in a pen or the females will be damaged. It is classified as a light breed.
Redheads make up 2% of North America's duck population and only 1% of its harvested ducks.
The wood duck (Aix sponsa) is related to the mandarin duck, as you may be able to gather from its array of colors and markings. This is one of the most colorful aquatic bird species in North America.
Temperament: Curious, active forager, but also calm and not readily alarmed. Poor flier. Males have high libido and couples breed readily.
The Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata), or just Mandarin, is a medium-sized, East Asian perching duck, closely related to the North American Wood Duck. It is 41–49 cm long with a 65–75 cm wingspan. Its most recognizable feature is its brilliant coloring.
A species of duck that has not been seen in Central Australia for more than 120 years has turned up at the Alice Springs sewage ponds.
John Metzer of Gonzales, California, raises and sells Welsh Harlequin ducks. He says they're well-known as prolific egg layers. "We list them as laying between 150-200 eggs per-female per-year," says Metzer.
Males are larger than females, averaging about 650g (1.5 lbs) to females 575g (1.3 lbs). This is about half the size of the more familiar mallard.
If your goal is to end up with blue duck eggs, the breeds that commonly lay blue eggs include Ancona, Magpie, Mallard, and Runners. If you want to add ducks to your backyard homestead and end up with tons of eggs, these are the 11 best ducks for eggs. Make sure to raise a few of these in your flock.
The egg color is creamy white and averages 75 grams in weight. The Welsh Harlequin drakes have striking green iridescent head feathering, while females are more subdued in color over their bodies.
Ruddy Ducks are very aggressive toward each other and toward other species, especially during the breeding season. They are even known to chase rabbits feeding on the shore. Though Ruddy Ducks are native to the Americas, one population became established in England after captive ducks escaped in 1952.
Ancona Duck
Anconas have a reputation for being one of the calmest duck breeds. They are docile ducks that cannot fly, but still love to free range and forage. The Ancona is not much of a troublemaker and will always return home at nightfall.
Initially bred and developed for their distinctive call, Call ducks have become an increasingly popular domestic pet and show duck breed. They are comically noisy; just a dozen can sometimes sound like a larger flock of thirty or forty ducks.
Duck breast is best served medium rare and pink in the middle as overcooking can cause it to dry out.
That's restaurant-speak for fulfilling an order, a.k.a. making food, a.k.a. cooking. Unlike chicken, duck breast has a hue and texture akin to that of red meat and is safe to consume medium-rare, so bring on the pink. Perfectly cooked duck breast will have moist and juicy meat, with a luscious and crunchy skin.
The Labrador duck (Camptorhynchus labradorius) is an extinct North American duck. It has the distinction of being the first known endemic North American bird species to become extinct after the Columbian Exchange, with the last known sighting occurring in 1878 in Elmira, New York.