Fun Rouen Duck Facts For Kids
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The origin of Rouen ducks dates back to the 19th century in central France.
This breed is so similar to the Mallard duck. They arrived in England around 1800 and they were called 'Roan' initially for their plumage which has a mixture of colors and in light of being seen in Rouen, a town in north-central France.
Breeders initially began selective breeding of these ducks and geese when they arrived in England.
The breeders bred them to perfection in various ways by transforming their sleek bodies into a thick boat-shaped body and also by improving their colors. These duck breeds were introduced to the United States in 1850 and were mainly used for meat production and exhibition as they were not considered to be egg production varieties.
The Rouen duck was first included in the American Poultry Association (APA) Standard of Perfection in 1874 and has since been considered by breeders to be the ultimate exhibition duck for its beauty, size, and challenges involved in breeding create truly good show specimens.
If you liked reading about the Rouen duck, then you must also give a read to mallard duck and spot-billed duck.
Rouen Duck Interesting Facts
What type of animal is a Rouen duck?
The duck Rouen looks very similar to wild mallards and this breed is mostly considered to be exhibition birds or used for their meat. The duck Rouen was listed in the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection in 1874.
Rouens are the second most popular duck meat breeds and Rouens are gray or brown in color. The male has a green-colored head and they have yellow or orange webbed feet.
What class of animal does a Rouen duck belong to?
The Rouen duck belongs to the class of Aves. Rouens are really good parents and female ducks focus extra energy towards taking care of Rouen ducklings so that they do not get lost.
How many Rouen ducks are there in the world?
Rouens are abundant in number and they have the conservation status of Least Concern.
Where does a Rouen duck live?
Rouen ducks initially originated in France and were widely bred in England, where they were then exported to the United States.
What is a Rouen duck's habitat?
Rouens are mainly found in France, though most of them are bred in captivity. There are wild Rouens too who live in pairs or groups near ponds or lakes. They are generally domesticated and kept mostly for exhibition and meat production. Even though they lay around 125 eggs per year, their eggs are not eaten too often.
Who do Rouen ducks live with?
Duck Rouens are social birds that typically live in pairs or in groups. They look similar to the Mallard bird. They also are good parents as the mothers focus most of their energy on taking care of Rouen ducklings.
How long does a Rouen duck live?
The Rouen duck can live up to 20 years which is a pretty long time.
How do they reproduce?
Rouen ducks start breeding at six months old and the females start laying eggs when they are around 25-30 weeks old. They lay eggs consistently throughout the year but might destroy them.
They can lay 35-125 eggs per year, although they are not considered as an egg production variety as these ducks are only bred for meat production. After the female ducks have laid 5-10 eggs, they incubate them for a few days until they hatch.
The females make good mothers as they take care of their Rouen ducklings and try to keep them close to home. The drake, or male duck, protects their eggs and chases predators away.
What is their conservation status?
Their conservation status is Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List as they are found in abundance.
Rouen Duck Fun Facts
What do Rouen ducks look like?
The Rouen duck looks similar to mallards. They are gray in color with males having green heads, white collars, black tail coverts, dark ashly brown tail feathers, and a deep claret breast.
The female is brown and they have a brown crown and tanned stripes which run down from the back of their eyes towards their bill. They also have distinct detailed patterns on their head, neck, body, wings, and tails. The female has plumage that is brighter in color and is darker brown.
Drakes or males have a green and black ring around their eyes and a white ring around their neck. The drake has a gray plumage. Both males and females have blue spots on their feathers and they have orange or brown webbed feet. They are generally brighter in color and larger in size than mallards.
How cute are they?
Yes, they are cute and their appearance is very pretty as they are used as display pets or as exhibition ducks.
How do they communicate?
They call each other through a hail call by quacking at each other, especially when female ducks call their ducklings. They have other calls like whistles, coos, grunts, and yodels to communicate with each other which might vary from loud to soft calls. Drakes are not very noisy, but the hens might become noisy when they are upset.
How big is a Rouen duck?
They mostly have a length of 20-26 in (50-65 cm) and a wingspan of 32-39 in (81-98 cm). Sometimes, they are much larger than this.
How fast can a Rouen duck fly?
Like most of mallards, Rouen ducks fly at the speed of 40-50 mph (64.3-80.4 kph). Mallard ducks are capable of flying 800 mi (1287 km) during an eight hour flight.
How much does a Rouen duck weigh?
Rouen ducks weigh around 6-12 lbs (2.7- 5.4 kg).
What are the male and female names of the species?
Rouen ducks are distinguished as males are called drakes and females are called hens.
What would you call a baby Rouen duck?
A baby Rouen duck is called a duckling or ducklings, just like other duck babies.
What do they eat?
Rouen ducks mainly feed on larvae and pupae found under rocks, aquatic animals, plant materials, small fish, snails, crabs, and seeds. Since ducks have serrations instead of teeth, they can feed even in water. They are very useful cleaning garden lawns of insects and bugs because they feed on them.
Are they dangerous?
No, they are domesticated ducks and are not dangerous. They might bite when they feel threatened and chase you for a bit, just like other duck species. They sometimes destroy their own eggs.
Would they make a good pet?
These birds are generally domesticated and used as general farm ducks until they were used for decoration and exhibition. Rouens are easy to care for and are hardy, and they can live up to 20 years.
Did you know...
Peking ducklings are yellow in color; however, when they grow up, it turns into a creamy-white with orange beaks. However, the Peking duck breed is one of the friendliest ducks, originating in China and later imported to America.
How many eggs does a Rouen duck lay at a time?
Rouen ducks lay around 35-125 eggs per year, but their eggs are not a production variety. Rouens are mainly bred for meat as there are other poultry sources that lay more eggs than Rouen ducks. Their eggs are generally white, but some might have blue and green spots.
Do ducks see in color?
Ducks have a vision of 340 degrees as their eyes are located on either side of their head. They can see objects near and far because of the shape of their eyes. Moreover, they have three eyelids and can see in color.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our hermit warbler facts and black swan facts pages.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable rouen duck coloring pages.
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