Welsh Harlequin Duck: Traits, Uses, and Complete Breed Information

The Welsh Harlequin Duck is a light breed of domestic duck originating from Wales. This is a fairly new breed, bred in 1949 by Leslie Bonnet. He discovered a color mutation among his flock of Khaki Campbell ducks and began selective breeding for this trait.

The Welsh Harlequin Duck is known for its high egg-laying ability, as well as being calmer birds than Campbell’s Persimmon. After their development, they were a popular service breed. But, as is the case with many other breeds of ducks, their numbers dwindled in the fifties and sixties.

The breed was first imported into the United States around 1968. In fact, Welsh Harlequin Duck hatching eggs were imported by John Fugate in Tennessee. But live birds were brought to the United States in 1981.

The breed was accepted into the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Excellence in 2001. Now the number of Welsh Harlequin Ducks is low. And in North America, the breed is considered endangered by the American Livestock Breeds Conservation Organization.

But the breed may be available in other parts of the world. However, below are the characteristics, uses, full breed profile, and some special notes about the Welsh Harlequin Duck.

Characteristics of the Welsh Harlequin Duck

The Welsh Harlequin Duck is classified by the American Poultry Association as a light duck breed. This breed is well known for its ability to lay eggs, as well as its striking plumage.

Welsh Harlequin Ducks have relatively long bodies, rounded breasts, moderately full bellies, medium-width backs, and widely spaced legs. Their necks are lined with trim. They have oval heads with medium to slightly concave beaks.

Females have a black beak with brown legs and feet. And their plumage resembles that of mallards, but heavily covered with frost. They also lack eye stripes in female mallards.

Welsh harlequin drakes also resemble frozen mallards with a yellow-green beak and orange legs and feet. The pattern and coloration of the Welsh Harlequin Duck is complex.

Drakes have a greenish-black, dull reddish-brown head with white shoulders, and their breasts are cream with a reddish-brown tint. Their forewings are creamy-white and reddish-brown, with a shiny bronze-green stripe. And their upper back is covered in cream, brown, brown and white tortoiseshell.

The drake’s tail is black-bronze with a white border. Its legs and feet are orange and its nails are brownish-black. While female Welsh Harlequins have a creamy white head with a maroon pattern.

Their crown usually has more brown mottling than the rest of the head. Often a slight delicate rust or burnt orange redness appears on its head, neck and chest.

Generally, the body of female Welsh Harlequins is creamy white to buff and brownish green or bronze when young, and usually brown in old age. And their fingernails are brownish black.

There is also a variety of Harlequin Welsh duck known as “Golden” which is popular in the UK. This color variation replaces the black pigments of the feathers with a light golden brown color.

The average weight of a Welsh Harlequin Duck is between 2 and 2.5 kg. Photo by The Livestock Conservancy.

Advantages

The Welsh Harlequin Duck is a very good breed of egg-laying duck. It is suitable for commercial breeding of ducks for egg production. But as a breed of light ducks, these birds produce a lean carcass and are also suitable for meat production.

Special Notes

The Welsh Harlequin Duck is one of the fantastic breeds of egg-laying ducks. They can lay up to 250 eggs per year. They are also known to be quieter birds than their ancestors, Campbell’s persimmons.

Harlequin ducks are friendly, obedient and calm birds. They are generally flightless and are quite happy to hang around the yard or garden. They are also very good foragers and are usually enthusiastic about collecting insects from the garden or backyard.

Welsh Harlequin Drakes have a high libido. Therefore, it is wise not to keep more than one dragon in a small enclosure or the females will be damaged. The Harlequin Welsh duck breed is prone to brooding. And usually a couple can easily give birth to ducklings without human intervention.

The sex of ducklings can be easily determined after hatching by beak color (with an accuracy of about 90%). Ducklings with darker beaks are males, while lighter beaks ending in a dark patch are usually females.

Although this difference disappears within a few days. However, it is a beautiful helper bird. See his full breed profile below.

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