Magpie Duck

Facts about Magpie Ducks. The Magpie Duck is named for its unique black and white color feathers, which resemble the color of a Magpie duck variety of Europe. The typical illustration of the variety is mostly white with two big black color areas on the top of the head and the back part of the body of the duck. The Magpie Ducks were developed in Wales at the beginning of the 20th century and were exported to the United States in the late 1960s, where the Magpie Duck were finally acknowledged as the frivolous duck category. The Magpie Duck is a frivolous variety of domestic duck that is believed to breed in the early 1900s, in Wales. The Magpie Ducks are bred as general purpose ducks and they have beautiful markings and are highly prolific layers of big-size eggs.

Diet of the Magpie Ducks

Magpie duck breeds are vigorous foragers that will forage and hunt for a considerable portion of their nourishment from seeds, grass, insects, and marine life. The Magpie Duck enthusiastically look for food and feed on snails, slugs and insects so that the keepers of huge farm animals discover that these duck breeds are efficient at removing liver fluke plagues.

Features about the Magpie Duck

The Magpie ducks are a long bodied birds, with a maximum body mass, ranging from five to six pounds (2.2 to 2.7 kg) and the female ducks have a body mass of 5.5 pounds(2.5 kg). Other than common weight and size, the female and male Magpie ducks are the same in look. The Magpie Ducks are renowned for their marked plumage, which is mostly white, with a tinted cap on the top of their head, and a large decorated patch extending down the back from their shoulders to their tail. The Magpie Duck breed has an elongated body, with a big head, and an extended yellow or orange color bill. This body carriage of the Magpie duck ranges from 15 to 30 degrees above horizontal when the duck is in stress-free condition, and it is somewhat higher when nervous.

Magpie Ducks are related to swans and geese and the Magpie Duck is the smallest of these birds with shorter wings and neck and a stocky body. Magpie Ducks on average, live 4 to 8 years and can live up to 12 years. Magpie Ducks are omnivores; meaning - an animal that eats food of both animal and plant and origin.

The Magpie duck breed is a light duck breed and is rather smaller in size and physique when compared to a heavier duck breed, such as the Rouen Duck. The Magpie Duck vertical stance is extremely similar to the Khaki Campbell duck breed, though maintaining an aerodynamic keel. This unique carriage comes from Indian Runner Duck in its family background. Even though the Magpie Ducks are regularly maintained as pets for their loveliness, they are also developed as a multipurpose farm duck for their meat and eggs.

A Magpie Duck is a Precocial (meaning) Born or hatched with the eyes open, a covering of hair or down, capable of a high degree of independent activity from birth and able to leave the nest just a few hours after hatching.

About Magpie Duck Breeding

Magpie ducks are strong, active, strong-legged birds that come from a family recognized for high egg production. Laying skill and the size of the egg are strongly influenced by the male ducks that hail from high-producing families. The Magpie Duck are good breeders and the female duck will produce a huge number of white colored, medium to large-sized eggs, ranging from 220 to 290 eggs once a year. The Magpie Ducks are inclined to contain high strung dispositions. Generally, when they are at home on land and not able to sustained flight, they can drive themselves above a wall of height 2 feet to 3 feet (.6 to .91 kg) if startled. Even though the recently-hatched ducklings obviously show their markings, it is hard for breeders to attain the breed standards because the numbers of absolutely noticeable Magpie ducklings are low, particularly with respect to the coloring of the bill and the leg.

Male adult Magpie Ducks are called a (drake) and a adult female Magpie Duck is called a (hen). A young baby Magpie is called a (duckling). A group of ducks is called a brace, raft, team, flock, or paddling. The female Magpie Duck (hen) are usually a plain colored for hiding purposes to be camouflaged from their enemies when they are sitting in their nests.

Magpie Duck Water-proof feathers

A special feature that the Magpie Duck has is its water-proof feathers, even when the Magpie Duck dives underwater, its downy under-layer of feathers will stay totally 100% dry. There is a special gland called the "Preen Gland" also called Oil Gland or Uropygial, that produces oil that is near the Magpie Ducks tail which covers and spreads the outer coat of the Magpie Ducks feathers, which makes the duck water-proof.

Scientific name for Magpie Duck "Anas Platyrhynchos" meaning - Wild dabbling duck from which domestic ducks are descended; widely distributed. From New Latin "anas" meaning (Duck) and the word Platyrhynchos comes from "platyrrhine", Ancient Greek meaning (broad snouted, flat-bridged nose).
The definition of Anatidaephobia is irrational fear that you are being watched by a duck. Magpie Ducks are birds in the Class of "Aves". Magpie Duck are part of the bird family "Anatidae". Magpie Ducks are also called "waterfowls" they are generally found in places were there is water, such as ponds, rivers, streams, lakes and occasionally your back yard pool. Magpie Ducks fly in a “V” shape to makes flying easier.

The different bill shapes and sizes for finding food, has over time mutated to fit each environment. The Magpie Duck bill is flat and broad and has rows of fine incision along the outer edge called "lamellae". meaning a thin membrane, plate, scale or layer, as of cell wall or bone tissue. The larnellae helps the Magpie Duck to clutch food for feeding.

Features about the Magpie Ducks feet

The Magpie Ducks have webbed feet, that makes them act like paddles, designed for swimming. The Magpie Duck push their webbed paddle feet back in a kicking motion, this allows them to move swift through the water and when the feet come back, the Duck will close for less water resistance. The Magpie Ducks paddle feet do not feel cold, even when it swims in cold icy water. The webbed feet makes a Magpie Duck waddle instead of walk. The Magpie Ducks feet have capillaries which help blood flow to their feet. The warm blood flow down the leg and creates a heat exchange system. When the blood flows down the leg, it meets the cold blood and is warmed up to keep the Magpie Ducks feet warm. Magpie Ducks feet are thin because they contain soft tissue and few muscles.

Underneath the water-proof coat are downy soft fluffy feathers which keep the Magpie Ducks body warm. Magpie Ducks keep clean by being able to turn their heads completely backwards, and put their beaks into their feathers by preening themselves.

The male Magpie Duck will guard their nest by chasing away other ducks. Once the female lays 5 to 8 eggs, she will start to sit on her eggs to keep them warm so that they can hatch into baby ducklings. The Magpie Duck eggs will hatch on average within 26 to 28 days. Baby ducklings are able to fly within 5 to 8 weeks. Magpie Ducks will lay more eggs, when there is more daylight, that's why farmers will keep the lights on in the ducks house for longer periods of time.

Magpie Ducks see in color with very good vision and can see well underwater. Magpie Ducks have three eyelids the third eyelid called nictitating membrane. They have a top and bottom as well as a third eyelid that is found on the side of the eye. The Magpie Ducks eyelid blinking acts as a windshield wiper to clear the eye. This helps to see when diving under water can also help the eye from drying out while flying. This is an act of constantly cleaning and keeping the eye moist.

Features about Magpie Duck egg

A Magpie Duck egg has twice the nutritional value than a chicken egg and will stay fresh longer because of their thicker shell.
Magpie Duck eggs are richer with more Albumen "the white of an egg" making pastries and cakes richer and fluffier. A Magpie Duck Egg has more Omega 3 fatty acids than a chicken egg. Omega 3 is thought to improve skin health, memory and Brain health. Magpie Duck Eggs are an Alkaline producing food and a Chicken egg is an acid food and leaves your body more acid. Duck eggs are high in Cholesterol. Magpie Duck eggs have 6 times the Vitamin D and 2 times the Vitamin A than a chicken egg. Magpie Duck eggs have 2 times the cholesterol than a chicken egg.

Features about the Magpie Ducks Bill

A "bill" is what is call a Magpie Ducks mouth. There are no teeth in the Magpie Ducks bill, they have rows of thin bristles, which helps them to filter pieces of nutrition out of the water. Magpie Ducks swallow there food whole and it goes to an organ called a gizzard, were the food is first ground up and than moves on to the stomach.