HISTORY;
Originally refered to in the early books such as Lewis Wright and
others as the Decoy changing about the 1870's to the name Call..
Colours known then were the dark (Mallard) and the White.His comments
upon them was that "The flesh is good:but there is too little to repay
breeding them for the table, and their only proper place is on the lake.
STANDARDS:*
A short compact and cobby bird with a round face and short bill...as a
rule it should be shorter than the last digit of an adult
thumb...maximum length 1 1/4 inches / 3.1 cm
Due to the large number of colours for further information about
colours see the page for the Call duck club at http://www.thebritishcallduckclub.co.uk.
Names Also known as Le canard Mignon in France and
Belgium. Mignon in Italy
Country Of Origin;........ Great Britain. known since early Victorian
times mentioned in Tegetemeir
Carriage; short compact and cobby bird
Purpose;..........Eggs..Meat(soup or spatchock!)...Broody...a good
utility duck
Egg Colour.....................white
Egg Numbers .............They lay one clutch per year
normally.......thus will not sit and brood if the eggs are removed 10+
per yearr
Breed Defects. . . . . .bill length then according to colour
Breed Defects. .. . . . . . ..bill length then according to
colour
Breed Hints.... Kept as trio or pair .. will go broody and
hatch
Breed Tip ***Kept as pairs or alternatively trios .
Need water swims for pleaseure** check good fox proofing as the female
can be heard for quite a distance
Flying . Excellent fliers can thus be pinioned...the
ducklings have to be done as babies..consult the vet for further
information about this. If not clip the wings or net new birds to
curtail their homing instincts if not be prepared with a
landing net and set of expletives
Colours and
Calls
These are the six factors that cover the colours of Calls:-
1.Mallard Factor
Wild Pattern/Dusky Mallard./Restricted Mallard. The Mallard
Factor allows full expression of the "Wild Type" pattern.It is dominant
to the dusky factor and recessive to the restricted factor. Each factor
produces its own pattern in ducklings and in adult birds.
Mallard: Ducklings: Olive-black with four yellow spots on the
back,the head is yellow with two ocular(eye) stripes from the base of
the bill to the dorsal area.
Adults: The male bears full expression of the wild type.The female is
rich buff brown with a dark line running from the base of the bill
through the eye and a dark patch on the crown that runs down the
neck.Each feather is distinctly pencilled with black or very dark brown.
Dusky Mallard: Ducklings:The back is olive -black shading off
to olive - grey on the under side, with an absence of ocular stripes
and dorsal spots.
Adults:Male - There is usually an absence of the neck ring
and the claret breast is either missing or very small,
Female- She is very dark and lacks eye stripes and cap.
2.Restricted Mallard;
Ducklings;- Dark Pigment on the back is confined to patches on the head
and tail.The remainder is dull yellow with dark under colour.
Adults:In both sexes the difference is on the wing front and bow. The
restricted bird always shows areas of white on the dorsal surface.This
is due to the white lacing or tipping rather than completely white
feathers.The feathers may have a silvery cast o them.The females wing
bow appears paler than in the wild type Mallard or Dusky.
Dark Phase Light Phase Harlequin Phase
Each of these genes affect the mallard colour.The dominant factor is
dark phase; it allows full expression of any one of the three mallard
factors which happen to be present.
Light Phase: It lightens the colour of the adult plumage in the female
and intensifies the colour of the male.
Ducklings: At 19 to 20 days will have a white spot under the chin.The
light phase ducklings never have more than one unbroken stripe running
through the eye. Dark phase usually have two.When theses two phases are
with dusky mallard it is impossible to tell at day old.
Adults: The light phase is brought about by the reduction of the size
of the dark portion of each feather . It increases the area of claret
on the breast and extends it along the sides over the shoulders.A minor
modification in the males causes the black on the back to reduce to
dark grey.
Light Phase/Dusky Mallard: will produce some claret in the breast
region of the males.A lighter tone occurs in the light phase dusky
female.
Harlequin Phase; Ducklings; Hunter in 1939 described a variation from
the wild pattern. The mutation appeared in a flock of wild mallards
that had been domesticated and inbred for about twenty four years. The
ducklings were yellow with smoky coloured down on their heads and tails.
Adults; The ducks were almost entirely white on the breast. They had
greyish heads and light coloured wings and tails. The black markings of
the male and the wing specular of both sexes were quite normal.
3.Mallard Dilution to Blue
Blue Fawn;Male; Dark seal blue head ,neck and speculum, with claret
breast. Female : Grey blue and rich fawn, blue speculum, fawn laced
feathers.
Pastel; Dilution of the Blue Fawn; Male; Silver blue head, neck and
specular, claret breast with a shaded silver blue body
Female; Shading from golden fawn to silver blue.Rich Fawn eye streak
and cap Golden fawn chest and blue speculum.
Aztec Blue; Wild pattern on lavender or silver;Male; Dark silver head
and neck and speculum.Claret Breast shaded silver body . Female; Soft
silver blue (No Fawn) darker speculum, shaded silver body.
4.Wild Mallard ...Dilution to Browns
Nutmeg; This is the Brighter form of the Khaki in the Wild pattern.
Male; Dark Brown Head, neck and Iridescent brown specular.Claret
breast, soft brown vermiculation on the flank.Female; The colour is
similar to the khaki but will be lighter, brighter with each feather
distinctly pencilled with a brilliant specular.
Ginger ; When you dilute nutmeg it becomes the buff colour in the wild
pattern.Male; Soft brown head with matching speculum, white wing
bras,rich claret breast on soft buff body. Female ; Golden buff, slight
eye stripe, very light wing bows and primaries, speculum white bars
with soft tan.
5.Mallard Dusty Factor; Self Colours; Even Tones
Black ; flat even tone of black Blue ; dark without rust tones
Silver ; Soft blue silver
Chocolate ; Rich even tones of chocolate
Khaki ; Soft subtle pencilling without much speculum
Buff ;Tan head no speculum
Cocoa or Dunn ; Light form of chocolate may come from blue cross
Bibbed ; This is controlled by a completely dominant gene. It could
appear on any of the self colours.
Runner Pattern ; The cap is separated from the cheek markings by an
extension of the neck white which covers the entire neck . The breast
white starts in front of the thigh and passes between the legs to
beyond the vent. A third area of white is present on the wings covering
the primaries, secondaries and lower part of the wing bow. This pattern
can be bred on self colours and wild mallard colours.
For example;- Fawn & White ............. self colour
Pencilled ........... Dusky Mallard
Pied Drake/Duck Call & other Bantam ducks
Blue Silver Pied drake....Dark silver Pied duck Call
Hooded or Magpie Pattern ; This is most likely a modified Runner
Pattern and could be bred on any solid or wild colour 
6. Light Phase on Restricted Mallard or Wild Mallard
(eg Trout Runner Colouration)
Aleutian ; Grey Patterns with a reduction of the size of the dark
portion of each feather.
Cinnamon ; Grey Pattern with a reduction of the size of the dark
portion of each feather **This group could come in any of the colours**
Harlequin Phase ; Spot ; Theses look like the mallards Hunter described
in the mutation from wild mallards (Hunter 1939). The female is almost
entirely white, greyish head, light coloured wing and tail, normal
speculum. Males are the lightest in the harlequin group with normal
markings.
Snowy ; Red - buff head, some red on the chest and shoulders, black and
red spotting on the back with a violet speculum.Males darker and more
red than the spot male.
Blue Snowy ; Blue replaces the black in the male and female.
Chocolate Snowy; Chocolate replaces red on the male and female.
Minor modifications in the harlequin restricts the colour under the
chin around the neck down the breast and ventral areas of the female.
The male will have white eye streaks in the eclipse plumage.
Appleyard ; The wild mallard pattern
Butterscotch ; Female ; Rich golden red with eye streaks over
white.Male ; Rich blue with claret extending over the shoulders, down
the flank and low on the breast region.
Yellow Bellies ; This is the same pattern as the butterscotch female,
wild colour on the back and head,The eye streaks and the entire
underside is yellow. Male ; wild pattern with yellow belly .
Reference ; "The Inheritance of Plumage Colour in the Common Duck" by
F.A.Lancaster National Institute of Poultry Husbandry UK
by Jane Edington
Reprinted from the 2000 Yearbook of the DWC copywrite Jane Edington/DWC
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Ducks/Calls/BRKCalls.html
photo's rupert-the-fish
CALL....... breeders
Jane Anderson, Wiltshire 01793 751 171
Pearl Birch, West Midlands 01562 710 975
White, Penny Black, Mallard, Chocolate
Danetre School, Northants (June Wilson) 07904 001 758
White, Apricot
Paul Darby & Carol McCouat, West Midlands 01922 449 801
White, Apricot
Alan Davies, Pembrokeshire 01437 721 433
Silver, Dark Silver, Mallard, Apricot, Apricot Silver, Blue Silver,
Dark Blue Silver, Blue Fawn, Yellow Bellied, Dark Apricot Silver.
Tom Davis, Essex 07969 246 455
White, Bibbed, Mallard, Pied, Blue Fawn, Silver
Colin Dick, Scotland 01721 752 297
Corinne Downing, Cornwall 01726 821 118
White, Apricot, Light Apricot Silver, Butterscotch, Saxony
Jed Dwight, Isle of Wight 01983 531 391
Apricot, White, Silver, Pied
Gloria Evans & Franco Fontanini, Hampshire 02392 464 700
Various colours
Sandra Farrar, Shropshire 01588 650 390
White, Black, Chocolate, Blue, Blue Bibbed, Lavender, Silver, Blue
Silver, Apricot Silver, Grey, Apricot, Blue Fawn, Khaki, Dusky, Yellow
Belly, Pied, Magpie, Dark Silver
James Gibb, Bristol 01179 509 462
Brian Gilbey, Essex 01621 829 629
Jacquie Haylett, Somerset 01823 662 837
Apricot, Mallard, Silver, White, Blue Fawn
Hicks Waterfowl World, Shropshire 01691 655 635
Most colours
Alan Kerr, Northern Ireland 01265 741 365
White, Mallard, Blue Fawn, Pied, Blue, Bibbed, Apricot
R.D. Lavis, Pembrokeshire 01437 751 222
White, Lavender, Mallard, Dark Apricot Silver, Light Silver
Alan McKee, Antrim 02825 651 284
White, Fawn, Buff, Apricot, Mallard, Silver
Paul Meatyard, Somerset 01749 812 758
White
Colin Murton, Hampshire 01428 751 408
Apricot, White, Blue Fawn, Mallard (American), Magpie
Rosemary Sharpe, Monmouth 01600 713 868
John Soper, Hampshire 01256 850 355
Silver, Dark Silver, Mallard, Apricot, Apricot Silver, Blue Fawn, Dark
Pied Silver, Blue Bibbed, Black Bibbed, Lavender Bibbed, Khaki,
Butterscotch, Black, Dusky Mallard, Chocolate, American Pencilled,
White, Grey, Buff, Yellow Bellied, Dark Apricot Silver and others
Howard Walmsley, Lancashire 01253 790 425
White, Bibbed, Magpie, Penny Black
Please note that
photographs and text on
this site belong to the Domestic Waterfowl Club of Great Britain. They
should not be reprinted (commercially especially on ebay)
without prior permission but are freeely available for
educational purposes and can be printed up for classroom use;
we do not have printed fact sheets/booklets for sale etc but can
occasionally email uncompressed digital images.
