Crested (duck breed)

Lore & Background

The Crested duck likely originates from the East Indies, brought to Europe by Dutch ships, and was further developed in Holland. It appears in seventeenth-century paintings by artists such as Melchior d'Hondecoeter and Jan Steen. In the United States, the breed was described by D.J. Browne in 1853, with the white variant added to the American Standard of Perfection in 1874 and the black in 1977. The breed was recognized in the United Kingdom in 1910. A bantam version, the Crested Miniature, was bred by John Hall and Roy Sutcliffe in the United Kingdom in the late twentieth century and recognized in 1997.

Reader's Guide

The Crested duck is notable for its crest, a tuft of feathers resulting from an autosomal dominant gene that is semi-lethal and may display incomplete penetrance and incomplete dominance. The crest varies widely in size, from imperceptibly small to about 13 cm in diameter. The crest allele is associated with abnormalities in brain and skull structure, including larger brain size, abnormal cranial bone formation, fontanelles, intracranial lipomas, and reduced cerebellum and olfactory bulb size. Physical deformities such as shortened body, wry neck, and wry tail, as well as neurological disorders like impaired motor coordination, may occur. Researchers at the Wissenschaftlichen Geflügelhof in Rommerskirchen developed a test measuring the time a duck takes to right itself when placed on its back; birds that right themselves quickly (within one to two seconds) have a higher hatching rate and produce fewer ducklings with defects. The breed may be reared for eggs and meat, with eggs in blue, green, tinted, or white colors, and is also kept for showing or ornament.

Did You Know?

• The crest results from an autosomal dominant gene that is semi-lethal; homozygous birds die in the egg.
• In matings of two crested birds, the expected ratio of crested to uncrested hatchlings is about 2:1, but observed data shows a crest in only 30%–40% of ducklings hatched.
• The crest allele is associated with larger-than-expected brain size, abnormal cranial bone formation, and intracranial lipomas.
• A test developed at Rommerskirchen measures how quickly a duck can right itself from its back; faster birds have higher hatching rates.