Fun Orpington Duck Facts For Kids

The Orpington duck, also known as the buff Orpington duck or buff, was created by William Cook in Orpington, Kent, United Kingdom. This duck was produced by crossing among the Indian runner, Cayuga, Rouen, and Aylesbury duck breeds.

The Orpington duck variety was particularly created as the buff coloration was gaining a lot of attention during the early 20th century.

Buff Orpington ducks are a dual-purpose breed, used both for their meat and eggs. This breed is an excellent table bird, as their meat is superior in quality.

Their egg size is also large and has high nutritive value. Apart from the buff-colored ducks of this breed, blond and brown Orpington ducks are also seen. However, only the buff variety has been standardized.

Orpington ducks have a declining population as they are not widely bred for their meat, unlike the Pekin duck, which has gained much more popularity as a meat bird. Buff ducks are also very good as pets and their temperament allows them to be a nice addition to any family.

If you like this article, check out Muscovy duck facts and crested duck facts!

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Orpington Duck Interesting Facts

What type of animal is an Orpington duck?

The Buff Orpington duck is a breed of domestic ducks developed in the United Kingdom by a poultry breeder named William Cook.

What class of animal does an Orpington duck belong to?

These ducks belong to the class Aves. They are members of the Anatidae family.

How many Orpington ducks are there in the world?

The population of Buff Orpington ducks is not that widespread and they are considered to be rare. Since commercial duck breeders prefer breeding the Pekin ducks as meat birds, there has been a decline in the number of Orpington ducks.

In a census carried out in 2015, there were around 1088 breeding stocks of the Buff Orpington duck recorded in North America.

Where does an Orpington duck live?

The Orpington duck was created in Kent, in the United Kingdom. Eventually, these ducks were introduced to the rest of Europe and America, as well.

What is an Orpington duck's habitat?

This duck breed is domesticated and hence, they are usually found in farms or enclosed housing, apart from wetlands. These ducks are known to forage and prefer living in large spaces. Additionally, they need to have a source of clean water to cool off, especially during the summer.

Who do Orpington ducks live with?

Buff Orpingtons are social in nature and can live in large flocks. Since they are a friendly domestic breed, they get along well with their keepers, as well. The Buff Orpington duck can also get used to living with other pet animals if introduced from a young age.

How long does an Orpington duck live?

The Orpington duck can live for up to 12 years.

How do they reproduce?

Buff Orpington ducks are known for their egg production and produce an average of 150 eggs a year. These ducks are capable of laying up to 220 eggs annually.

The Buff Orpington duck eggs are quite large in size and are light gray, white, or off-white in color. The eggs weigh between 2.8-3.1 oz (79.3-87.8 g).

These eggs are incubated by the female duck for 28 days before hatching. The ducklings that hatch out of the eggs are quite well-developed and can leave their nest soon after they hatch out.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Orpington duck is Not Evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature or IUCN. However, they are considered to be a rare and threatened breed.

The status of these ducks under the Livestock Conservancy is Threatened. Since the Pekin duck is more commonly bred for their meat, the Buff Orpington duck population has faced a steady decline.

Orpington Duck Fun Facts

What do Orpington ducks look like?

Orpington ducks have a long neck and body, and an oval-shaped head. Their body carriage is 20 degrees above horizontal. Both sexes have a medium-length bill, short wings, orange feet, and curled tails.

The males have a yellow bill and the females have a brownish-orange bill. The bill appears flat and broad. The different Orpington duck colors are buff, brown, and blond.

The buff plumage in the male Buff Orpington duck is characterized by the presence of a brown head and upper neck. The blond Orpington duck has a paler buff color. In the male brown ducks of this breed, the head and rump are brown in color, while the females can be seen with light-brown penciling.

How cute are they?

Buff Orpington ducks are quite cute and beautiful in appearance. The characteristic buff color and lean body in the ducks of this breed make them quite charming.

How do they communicate?

The Buff Orpington duck's sounds are 'quacks'. They have a docile personality and aren't as loud as other breeds of ducks. So, they are relatively quiet in nature, even in flocks.

How big is an Orpington duck?

The length of a buff duck is nearly 22.8 in (58 cm) and their height is about 23 in (58.4 cm). The Orpington duck is slightly bigger in size than another popular duck breed, known as the ring-necked duck, which has a length of 18.1 in (45.9 cm).

Can an Orpington duck fly?

The Orpington duck breed is not really adept at flying. Their heavy bodies do not allow them to fly long distances. At best, they are capable of covering very short distances by flapping their wings and lifting their legs a few inches above the ground.

How much does an Orpington duck weigh?

The weight between the male and female Buff Orpingtons varies. The male buff ducks have a weight between 8-10.1 lb (3.6-4.6 kg), while the female buff ducks weigh between 6-8 lb (2.7-3.6 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

The male and female Buff Orpington ducks are known as a drake and a hen, respectively.

What would you call a baby Orpington duck?

A baby Orpington duck is known as a duckling.

What do they eat?

The Buff Orpingtons are very good at foraging and eat a variety of food materials. They are omnivorous in nature and their diet includes insects, larvae, aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles, small frogs and lizards, snails, smaller crustaceans, mosquitos, slugs, grains, seeds, and aquatic vegetation. When kept as pets, this breed can also be fed store-bought duck feed.

Are they friendly?

The Buff Orpington ducks or Buffs are known to be friendly and social. They are quite docile in nature and get along well with people, including children. Apart from the buffs, the American Pekin duck breed and Harlequin duck breed are also considered to be some of the friendliest duck varieties.

Would they make a good pet?

Buff Orpington ducks are a very popular pet duck breed. These ducks do not require high levels of care and are a great addition to any family.

Buff ducks can also adapt to any kind of climate. Apart from its moderate requirements, the Orpington duck has also become a well-known breed due to its calm demeanor. As long as these buff ducks are provided with enough space, a source of clean water, and sufficient food, they can live as pets, perfectly.

Did you know...

The Buff color in these ducks is due to an unstable blue dilution gene. Hence, the buff plumage is not seen in all the offspring of a buff variety parent.

A blue Orpington duck with a blue-colored plumage and heart-shaped white patch located on the breast was created before the Buff Orpington duck. However, blue Orpington ducks are hardly found any more and are considered to be extinct.

Orpington duck temperament

The Buff Orpington duck temperament can be described as gentle, friendly, and intelligent. Buff ducks can easily live in flocks and they are not prone to get startled easily, so they aren't very loud, either. A mark of their intelligence is that they can be trained to free-range while understanding their boundaries.

Why is it called Buff Orpington duck?

The Orpington duck is more commonly known as the Buff Orpington duck. This name can be traced back to 1914 when the Orpington duck was introduced to the American Poultry Association or APA.

Here, the breed was accepted under the American Standard of Perfection as the 'Buff duck'. This is the only breed that is listed by its color by the APA. Hence, the names buff duck, Buff Orpington duck, and simply buff became more popular for this breed, especially in North America.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Argentine lake duck facts and American black duck facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable orpington duck coloring pages.