Call duck
The call duck is a bantam duck developed in the Netherlands, originally used as a live decoy: hunters relied on its unusually loud, persistent call to draw wild ducks within range.
Modern birds are kept for show and as pets, but the voice has not been bred out.
It is the smallest domestic duck breed, with a very short bill, a round head and a compact body, in white, mallard and many other colours. Call ducks are lively, hardy and personable, and they are also — genuinely — one of the noisiest birds you can keep in a garden.
- Origin
- Netherlands
- Size
- 0.5–0.9 kg
- Lifespan
- 8–12 years
- Diet
- Waterfowl pellets, greens; not chicken layer feed
- Temperament
- Lively, hardy, sociable, personable
- Noise
- Very loud and persistent — the females especially
3 call duck photos, newest first
Living with a call duck
Consider your neighbours honestly. Females call loudly and often, it carries a long way, and it is the entire point of the breed.
Ducks need water deep enough to submerge the whole head to keep eyes and nostrils clear — a paddling pool is enough, but it must be emptied and refilled regularly.
Keep at least three; they are flock birds. Feed waterfowl pellets, not chicken layer feed, which lacks the niacin ducks need.
The short bill makes them prone to bill and sinus problems. Foxes take ducks readily, so housing must be secure at night.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual birds vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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