Duck Color Genetics
-Black
You’d think that black would be nearly as easy a color to make in ducks as white is, but you’d be wrong! All sorts of genetics impact the expression of black.
One of these is the bib. There are two different types of bib: a recessive kind and a dominant kind. I believe the irregular-shaped bib most often present in blacks is the dominant kind.
The color genetics “underneath” the black also plays a role. Some breeders say that for a good rich black, you need a dark phase dusky “underneath.” Black ducks also go white with age! Apparently, the green sheen on black feathers is related to how prone black ducks are to going white as they get older. Less aging white equals less green sheen. Other people say that the iridescent sheen on feathers is less related to actual color and has more to do with feather structure.
And if all that doesn’t seem confusing enough yet, there is also the tendency for black ducks to show patterned feathers! (see image) There are two types of patterned feathers in blacks. One is most commonly called “pencilling” and causes patterned wing feathers, patterned underwing, patterned feathers on the throat, and occasionally also a hint of patterning where the eyestripes might be. The other is sometimes called “calico patches” and these appear as random well-defined patches or spots of non-black feathers (other than white) on a black-based bird.
Basics of Black
Commonly used Genotype Letters
E extended black
e+ not black (plus indicates wild-type)
(E/E) is homozygous black; when bred with any other color the duckling will be black.
(E/e+) is heterozygous black; this bird is black but when mated can produce non-black offspring. The only way to tell for sure if a bird is homo or het black is to test mate with a non-black mate.
(e+/e+) is a non-black bird.
Black is a dominant gene that overrides any other wild-type feather pattern (usually! see notes on pencilling). Birds that are (E/E) or (E/e+) will be black. Genes that most obviously effect Black are Blue and Brown. These are dilution genes that we’ll discuss more on seperate pages. Many colors can be produced with a combination of Black, Blue, and Brown, all of which will be black based birds, even when the bird looks nearly white (as can be the case in Silver and Lilac)
People often ask what color ducklings will be produced when they mate a black based bird with any other color; the answer is black! Unless of course your black bird has a genotype of (E/e+), in which case they’ll only pass on their black gene half the time, resulting in half black ducklings and half non-black ducklings. But what other color will the non-black ducklings be?! Well, that’s difficult to tell, even if you know who the non-black parent was because you probably don’t know what colors are hiding “underneath” the black parent’s black phenotype, and what those genetics are, will be the determining ones for all non-black ducklings!
Say for example you breed a black (E/e+) bird to a welsh harlequin. If the black bird’s other genotype (besides black) is (M+/M+,Li+Li+), which is wild type mallard pattern) then your ducklings from that mating will all look like wild-type mallards! You’ll mate a black with a harlequin and get mallard! Who knew! The answer is: now you do! I love to do test matings like this when one color is super dominant (like black) with a super recessive color (like harlequin) because whatever colors are hiding will surely pop out in the ducklings with a mating like that and then you can make notes and consider those hidden genetics next time you pair up the dominant bird!
Black Ducklings
Black ducklings are fairly easy to identify as there aren’t many colors that can be confused with black. The one color that may seem similar at first is Dark Dusky.
Black ducklings cannot be feather sexed as they grow out.
Traits considered “flaws” such as pencilling and calico spots are often visible in the duckling down.
Note: the little white “cat-eye” is a sign of future pencilling.
Note: the little pale patch in the back of the one duckling’s head is a sign of a future “calico spot”
Pencilling in Black Ducks
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Patterned Speculum
This image shows some incredible patterning on the wing speculum. There are some theories that suggest that black ducks can only be Pencilled if they are (E/e+), an idea that is on my list of things to test for.
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Patterned Underwing
Here you can clearly see the patterning under the wing. The pattern looks very much like a dark dusky duck might look underwing, but I have yet to test mate a pencilled black to see if they are indeed dark dusky “underneath!”
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Patterned Eyestripe
Not all pencilled black ducks will show the eyestripe as nicely as this one does. The patterned speculum is also visible in this pic.
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Patterned Throat
And lastly the patterned throat…fighting with the bib genetics for expression real estate!
Calico Spots in Black Ducks
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A tiny calico patch
Here is a tiny calico patch on the back of this drake’s head. This drake is in juvenile plumage so when he turned to nuptials, the spot melted away into the rest of his green sheen head. (he is pictured as a duckling above)
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A larger calico patch
This drake showed the largest calico patch I ever had. It was right on his chest and was in claret area so both in juvenile and nuptials, I was able to see it.
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Different angle, same drake
Here the drake is facing away but you can still see the edge of his calico patch. Not much is known about the calico patch. An area that remains to be investigated!
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My Calico Prince
He was a beautiful drake. Nice shape to him. Good head. Very tall. Unfortunately, I lost him to an owl before he had the chance to breed. I’m still waiting for another like him to pop up.
disclaimer: since I am on a continuous learning journey, any of my comments on duck color genetics may be revised at any time as I learn new things. If your experiences differ to mine, please feel free to share them with me as I’m always excited to update, revise, and add to my duck color genetics knowledge!