Fun Crested Duck Facts For Kids

Are you looking for unique ducks to read about? Then there is no better duck to know about than crested ducks.

The crested duck is a well-known duck breed in Southern America. They have a crested gene mutation that gives the crested ducks their famous crest.

The crested ducks are one of the few duck breeds that are equally suited to both the wild as well as domestic places. The crested duck is also a notable choice for breeders for their egg-laying ability, which is bigger and more numerous than any other breeds of duck.

Though these crested ducks are native only to Southern America and South American countries, it has not stopped people worldwide from appreciating this unique standard of perfection. Though their ancestors used to be mallards, this has now stopped them from varying into multiple colors, such as the white-crested duck, and the much rarer black-crested duck.

With this article, you can read all about their history, feathers, weight, height, meat, breeding, egg,  their compatibility as pets, appearance, and more white crested duck facts. And do not forget to check out our animal fact files on the muscovy duck and duck too!

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Crested Duck Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a crested duck?

The crested duck is a type of bird. It is also called a medium size, domestic duck because it is used for domestic uses, like meat and eggs, and in some areas as pets.

What class of animal does a crested duck belong to?

The crested duck belongs to the bird class, Aves, part of the Animalia kingdom.

How many crested ducks are there in the world?

Due to lack of research, the population of the crested ducks is not known by researchers.

Where does a crested duck live?

Crested ducks mostly live near wetlands such as ponds, and rivers. Some people keep them as a pet in their poultry farms, after adopting them when they are crested ducklings.

What is a crested duck's habitat?

The crested duck is native to South America, though it has been frequently spotted in the United States for its prolific ability as breeders. Crested ducks can be easily spotted with a crest on their head.

Who do crested ducks live with?

Crested ducks live in flocks. Usually, about 50 crested ducks live together, and sometimes, the number of crested ducks can go up to 100.

How long does a crested duck live?

A crested duck life span is around 20 years. There have been odd cases of these medium sized cresed ducks living longer, but that is a rare occurrence.

In captivity, a lot of the ducklings that hatch do not make it to adulthood. However, the ducklings who do, then go on to live a long life as a drake or a female duck.

How do they reproduce?

When the male and female crested duck breed, it mostly in the summers (October to April) and a female crested duck lays around 100-130 eggs on an annual basis.  It takes around 28 days for the crested duck eggs to hatch from eggs and transform into ducklings. These ducklings can then take to water as fast as 2 weeks.

What is their conservation status?

The IUCN Red List has marked crested ducks as Least Concern. However, this crested species may be threatened with loss of habitat, and human intervention in their life cycles.

Crested Duck Fun Facts

What do crested ducks look like?

The crested duck has very striking features. The bodies are born at an angle from which the medium-length neck is upright and straight.

The beak and legs are comparatively longer and more orange in shade. They have a large, prominent beak, beady eyes, a crested head, and waterproof feathers that line up against their bodies, The crested duck skull is covered by a thick head crest of feathers, which looks similar to an afro.

The drake is usually a little larger than the female crested ducks.

How cute are they?

They are cute because of their appearance. Having a crest above their head and having different color of feathers such as blue-crested duck, white-crested duck, black-crested duck.

When they hatch, the ducklings can look especially cute. This is because the ducklings have a crest that is too big for their heads, but maybe, you can consider it a standard of perfection!

How do they communicate?

The white crested duck breed communicates with verbal communication as well as non-verbal communication. Some of their verbal calls are a call for breeding, hail call, decrescendo call, and many more. Their vocalizations include coos, grunts,  yodels, whistles and this also varies from loud noise to soft noise.

How big is a crested duck?

On average, these white crested ducks have a weight of around 6 lb and a drake is about 7 lb. their height is about 50-60 cm (19.6-23.6 in). They are one-tenth the size of an average human.

How fast can a crested duck fly?

Most white crested ducks can not fly very easily. This is because the crests on their head weighs them down.

Like all other domesticated crested duck breeds, the white-crested duck can also not fly as far as a normal bird. As soon as they hatch, the crested ducklings  may be able to flutter, but as they grow up, this continues not to be the case.

How much does a crested duck weigh?

The crested duck weighs around 6 lb, and drake birds are around 7 lb.  The weight of crested duck eggs can go up to about 80-90 g which makes their egg heavy as compared to others in the duck species.

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male crested duck is known as drake and the female are usually referred to as the ducks.

What would you call a baby crested duck?

The crested duck offspring would be is also known as a duckling.

What do they eat?

Crested ducks mostly prey on aquatic plants, algae, worms, mollusks. People who breed the crested ducks as pets in their poultry farms, give them grass, weeds, seeds. This improves the quality of their meat, since the primary benefit of this breed is not its capacity as good layers.

Are they friendly?

Yes, these birds are friendly because they do not harm humans and can adjust well to the environment given to them.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, the crested duck is known as a good pet because they as a species are very friendly in nature and can also be used for domestic uses such as laying eggs.

Did you know...

The gene mutation crests on their head of this duck breed is also known as the “top knot.” The white-crested duck breed has slightly longer and arched necks. The crests in the crested ducks are large and fluffy to touch - and are available in a variety of colors - such as blue!

Are crested ducks rare?

Some crested ducks species are rare, while some of them are not. Breeds such as the white-crested ducks are the most common amongst this duck breed whereas crested ducks which have blue feathers are rare. In general, too, the crested duck is a rare breed because of its genetic mutation.

Are crested ducks good layers?

Yes, the crested ducks are known as moderately decent layers by breeders. This is because males (drake) and the duck breed well, and can produce up to 130 eggs annually. The crested duck is also a very hardy breed and can breed even in very hostile situations. The only bare minimum needed is water and food.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including tawny owl, or Harlequin duck.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our crested duck coloring pages.