Crested (duck breed)

The domestic Crested Duck is a duck breed descended from the Mallard. It has its appearance because it is heterozygous for a genetic mutation causing a deformity of the skull. As a result, when a pair of crested ducks breed, the young sort out in the usual 1-2-1 ratio:-

• 25% are homozygous for the normal allele of this gene and so have no crest and if bred together their offspring will never have a crest.
• 50% are heterozygous for this gene and hatch with a crest of varying sizes.
• 25% are homozygous for the crested allele of this gene and die from exposed brain without hatching, as it is lethal in homozygous form.

If a crested duck and a non-crested duck breed together, the resulting ducklings would be expected to be 50% crested and 50% non-crested.

See also

• Crested Duck, the wild species Lophonetta specularioides
• List of duck breeds

External links

• Photos of Crested Ducks on poultrykeeper.com
• Photos of Crested Ducks on the feathersite