# Pekin Duck (*Anas platyrhynchos domesticus*)

Pekin ducks are friendly birds that love to waddle around farms. They have fluffy white feathers and enjoy splashing in water.

- **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 66
- **Also known as:** Peking Duck

![Pekin Duck](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426085/objects/4588.jpg)

## Appearance

The Pekin Duck is a large, distinctive domestic duck known for its entirely white plumage. It has a yellow to orange bill and orange legs and feet. Its upright stance and sturdy build visually differentiate it from most wild duck species.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Aves
- **Order:** Anseriformes
- **Family:** Anatidae
- **Genus:** Anas

## Pekin duck, up close

The American Pekin is a large, all-white domestic duck. It descends from ducks shipped from China to New York in 1873 and, like most farm ducks, belongs to the same species as the wild mallard, Anas platyrhynchos. Calm and fast-growing, it is mostly raised for meat, and is also kept for eggs and as a pet.

Also called: American Pekin, Long Island duck, White Pekin, Pekin.

A touch-sensitive bill that sieves its food, feathers built to shed water, and ducklings that follow the first thing they see. Spin the duck, tap it, then test yourself.

### Special abilities

- **Paddle Power** (Day 1 ducklings swim from hatching): Pekins swim by paddling with their webbed feet, and their ducklings can swim on the day they hatch. [7][2][10][17]
  - Pekin feathers are looser and fluffier than most ducks’ and get messy in wet, muddy pens, so clean water matters.
  - Ducks are waterfowl: swimming, bathing and dipping their heads in water are part of how they keep clean.
  - European food-safety scientists list “access to water to fulfil biological needs” as a key welfare factor for farmed ducks.
- **Bill Sieve** (Touch feeds in murky water by feel): A dabbling duck pumps water through its bill and keeps the food, using comb-like ridges along the edges as a sieve. [2][3][4]
  - Dabbling ducks feed at the water’s surface, pumping water through the bill and filtering out bits of food.
  - The fine ridges (lamellae) are best developed in filter-feeding ducks.
  - Duck bills are packed with touch sensors. In ducks, the extra touch nerve cells come at the expense of cells that sense temperature.
- **Waterproof Coat** (3 months without oil before it fails): Water beads up and rolls off a duck’s back. The secret is mostly the tiny structure of the feathers, kept in good shape by preen oil. [9]
  - Scientists blocked mallards’ access to their preen oil. After 3 months their feathers were in worse condition and held more water.
  - After only 10 days there was no difference, so the oil maintains the feathers rather than simply “greasing” them.
  - The study concluded that the feathers’ microstructure is essential for waterproofing.
- **Oil Gland** (24.8% of ducks wet-preening with a pool (5.5% without)): On the back, at the base of the tail, sits the preen gland. It makes the oil a duck spreads through its feathers when it preens. [8][10][18]
  - In white farm ducklings raised for 6 weeks without a pool, the preen gland grew smaller and made less oil.
  - With a pool, about 24.8% of ducks were seen wet-preening, against 5.5% without one.
  - Pekin ducks given simple “preening cups” of water also wet-preened more.
  - Ducks seen wet-preening: With a pool 24.8%; Without a pool 5.5%
- **Hen’s Quack** (Hens make the classic quack): The loud “QUACK quack quack” is the female’s call. Drakes have a different voice box, with an extra bony chamber. [12][13][14]
  - The hen’s decrescendo call fades as it goes, and she uses it to call other ducks or her ducklings to her.
  - Male ducks have a hollow bony bulla on the left side of the syrinx, their voice organ, which females lack.
  - A 2025 study suggests the bulla acts as a resonator that shapes the drake’s courtship calls. Young ducklings of both sexes sound much alike.
- **Egg Machine** (150+ eggs a year): A Pekin hen can lay more than 150 white eggs a year, many more than a wild mallard lays in one nest. But she rarely sits on them. [1][2][12][19]
  - Pekins rarely go broody, so farmers and keepers hatch the eggs in incubators.
  - A wild mallard hen usually lays 9–13 eggs in a nest on the ground near water.
  - Pekin hens care where they lay: in one test, half of them pushed a door weighted with up to 120% of their own body weight to reach a nest of sawdust.
  - How many eggs?: Pekin hen, one year 150+; Mallard hen, one nest 9–13
- **Growth Spurt** (3.5 kg+ in about 7 weeks): Pekins grow astonishingly fast: from a duckling that fits in your hand to more than 3.5 kg in about seven weeks. [1][7][18][5]
  - That is two to five times the weight of an adult wild mallard (0.7–1.6 kg).
  - Farm Pekins are usually raised for about six weeks; one study measured them to day 43.
  - Part of the speed is genetic: one change near the IGF2BP1 gene makes Pekins about 15% bigger.
  - Weight: Pekin at 7 weeks 3.5 kg+; Adult wild mallard 0.7–1.6 kg
- **Follow Me** (1930s imprinting first described): Newly hatched ducklings follow the first moving thing they see and treat it like their mother. This is imprinting. [15][16]
  - Konrad Lorenz showed in the 1930s that incubator-hatched birds follow whatever they first catch sight of. He later shared a Nobel Prize for work on animal behaviour.
  - In 2016, ducklings of domesticated mallards that saw two matching (or two different) objects later chose to follow new pairs with the same relation.
  - Some scientists questioned how that 2016 result should be read, and the authors replied, so that part is still discussed.

### Body parts

- **Bill** (Touch finds food without looking) [1][2][3][4]
  - The bill is yellow to orange, fairly short and almost straight.
  - Its edges carry rows of fine comb-like ridges (lamellae, or pectens). Dabbling ducks use them to sieve food from water, to hold slippery food and to preen.
  - Ducks have many more large touch-sensing nerve cells serving the bill than birds that hunt by sight, so they can feed in murky water by feel.
- **Feathers** (1 gene key to the white down) [1][5][6][2][7]
  - Pekins are creamy white all over. A 2018 genetics study traced their white down to a change in one gene, MITF, which helps make colour pigment.
  - Their feathers are looser and fluffier than those of most ducks, so they get messy fast in wet, muddy pens.
  - In drakes of mallard-type ducks, the middle tail feathers curl upwards (the “drake feather”).
- **Preen gland** (3 months without oil before feathers suffer) [8][9][10]
  - A gland on the back at the base of the tail makes preen oil, which the duck spreads through its feathers as it preens.
  - Mallards kept from their oil for 3 months had scruffier plumage that held more water. After only 10 days there was no change.
  - White farm ducks raised without a pool to bathe in grew smaller preen glands that made less oil.
- **Wings** (≈4 kg a lot to lift) [2][7]
  - Pekins are in the heavy class of duck breeds: adult drakes weigh 4 kg (9 lb) or more.
  - Many domestic duck breeds no longer fly well, and heavy breeds like the Pekin are slow, “ploddish” birds.
  - Their wild ancestor, the mallard, weighs only 0.7–1.6 kg and flies strongly on wings 81–98 cm across.
- **Webbed feet** (Day 1 ducklings can swim) [1][2][7][11]
  - Legs and feet are a yellowish to light orange, with webs between the toes for paddling.
  - Mallard-type ducklings can swim as soon as they hatch.
  - Birds can cool their legs below the temperature of their feathers in cold weather, which saves body heat, and warm them up to shed heat when it is hot.
- **Voice box** (Hens make the loud quack) [12][13][14]
  - The familiar loud “quack” comes from females. It is called the decrescendo or hail call, because it gets softer as it goes and calls other ducks and ducklings over.
  - A bird’s voice box is the syrinx. Male ducks have an extra bony bubble on its left side, called the bulla, which females don’t have.
  - Scientists think the bulla works like a resonating chamber that shapes the drake’s courtship calls.
- **Gut** (+6% feed efficiency from one gene) [12][2][1][5]
  - Ducks of this species are omnivores: they eat plants, seeds and grain, insects, worms, snails and other small animals.
  - Pekins turn feed into body weight efficiently, one reason farmers like them.
  - In Pekins, a change near the IGF2BP1 gene keeps it working after hatching, which makes ducks about 15% bigger and 6% more feed-efficient.
- **Eyes** (1st thing seen becomes “mum”) [15][1][2][16]
  - In the 1930s Konrad Lorenz showed that birds hatched in an incubator follow whatever they first see. This is called imprinting.
  - Most Pekin ducklings hatch in incubators, so the first thing they see may be a person or another duckling.
  - Ducklings learn more than a face: in a 2016 study they imprinted on whether two objects were the same or different.

### Stats

| Stat | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Adult drake | ≈4 kg | heavy class: 4 kg (9 lb) or more; About 4 times an average wild mallard [2][12] |
| Growth | 3.5 kg+ | in about 7 weeks [1] |
| Eggs | 150+ | white eggs a year per hen [1][2] |
| Wild mallard clutch | 9–13 | eggs in one nest [12] |
| Voyage to America | 124 days | 9 of 15 ducks survived the trip, reaching New York in March 1873 [1] |
| Official breed | 1874 | in the first American Poultry Association Standard [1][2] |
| One gene’s effect | +15% | body size from a change near IGF2BP1 [5] |
| Domesticated | ≈3,000 years | ago in China, possibly earlier [1] |
| Nest motivation | 6 of 12 | hens pushed a door weighted with up to 120% of their body weight to reach sawdust [19] |
| Farmed for meat | 200 million+ | ducks a year in the US and EU alone [22] |

### Photos

- [An American Pekin drake](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PEO100_0470_1%2C0_Amerikansiche_Pekingenten.jpg) (photo: Paul-Erwin Oswald, CC BY 3.0)
- [American Pekin ducks in Germany](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amerikanische_Pekingenten_2013_01.JPG) (photo: Martin Backert, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [Pekin ducks on the Duck Pond in Perry, Florida](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Perry_Duck_Pond_ducks.jpg) (photo: The Bushranger, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [Pekin ducks](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pekin_Ducks.jpg) (photo: Katie Chodil, CC BY 2.0)
- [Pekin ducklings](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pekin_ducklings.jpg) (photo: Nithisha Vasudevan, CC BY 4.0)
- [A newly hatched Pekin duckling](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Baby_Duck.jpg) (photo: Jumpingmaniac, Public domain)
- [Pekins with their wild cousins, mallards, in Georgia, USA](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mallard_ducks_and_pekin_ducks%2C_First_Assembly_of_God.jpg) (photo: Michael Rivera, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [A mallard drake, the Pekin’s wild ancestor, in Poland](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2015_Kaczka_krzy%C5%BCowka_w_wodzie_(samiec).jpg) (photo: Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [A mallard hen in Locarno, Switzerland](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anas_platyrhynchos_(Female)_in_Locarno.jpg) (photo: Commonists, CC BY-SA 4.0)

### Questions

- **Can Pekin ducks fly?** Barely. Adult Pekin drakes weigh 4 kg or more, about four times as much as an average wild mallard (1.1 kg), and heavy domestic breeds no longer fly well. They spend their lives on the ground and on the water. [2][12]
- **How many eggs does a Pekin duck lay?** A Pekin hen can lay more than 150 white eggs a year. Pekins rarely go broody, so the eggs are usually hatched in an incubator. [1][2]
- **Is a Pekin duck a mallard?** Yes, in a way. Pekins are a domestic breed of the mallard species, Anas platyrhynchos, so the two can have fertile ducklings together. One 2021 genome study even suggests domestic ducks came from a wild population that scientists have not yet sampled. [7][2][27]
- **Why are Pekin ducks white?** Farmers chose white birds partly because white-feathered ducks are easier to prepare for market. Genetic studies link the white down to a change in the MITF gene, which controls pigment cells. [2][5][6]
- **Where do Pekin ducks come from?** From China. The American Pekin began with nine ducks, hatched in Peking (Beijing), that reached New York in March 1873. Many were then raised on Long Island, so they were also called Long Island ducks. [1]
- **Do Pekin ducks need water to swim in?** They can live without a pond, but they need water to dip their heads in and bathe. Ducks without bathing water preen less, and European scientists list access to water as a key welfare need. [10][18][17]
- **How can you tell a Pekin drake from a hen?** Look at the tail and listen. Drakes of mallard-type ducks have curled feathers in the middle of the tail, and the loud “quack” comes from hens. [7][12]
- **Is Peking duck made from Pekin ducks?** Peking duck is a roast duck dish from Beijing, with roots in imperial cookbooks from 1330. The breed is named after the same city, where its ancestors were hatched. Pekin-type ducks are raised for meat around the world. [28][1][22]

### Pekin duck myths and facts

Tap Myth or Fact for each claim, then check the answer.

- "Pekin ducks are a different species from mallards." **Myth!** Pekins are domestic mallards, Anas platyrhynchos. Mallards and domestic ducks can mate and have fully fertile ducklings. [7][2]
- "Ducks stay waterproof only because their feathers are oily." **Myth!** Preen oil keeps feathers in good condition, but a study on mallards found the feathers’ tiny structure is essential for keeping water out. [9]
- "The loud “quack” comes from female ducks." **Fact!** The classic quack is the hen’s decrescendo call. Drakes have a different voice box, with an extra bony chamber called the bulla. [12][13]
- "Pekin ducks fly as well as wild mallards." **Myth!** Adult Pekin drakes weigh 4 kg or more, against 0.7–1.6 kg for a mallard. Heavy domestic breeds no longer fly well. [2][7]
- "Ducklings follow the first moving thing they see." **Fact!** This is imprinting. Konrad Lorenz showed in the 1930s that incubator-hatched birds follow whatever they first see. [15][16]
- "Muscovy ducks are just another breed of Pekin." **Myth!** The Muscovy is a different species, Cairina moschata, from Mexico, Central and South America. It nests in tree hollows and hisses at threats. [23][2]
- "Pekin hens are keen to sit on their eggs." **Myth!** Pekins rarely go broody, so their eggs are usually hatched in incubators. [1][2]
- "A change in a single gene helps make Pekin ducks white." **Fact!** Studies of duck genomes found that the white down of Pekins is linked to a change in MITF, a gene that controls pigment cells. [5][6]

### Pekin duck records

Superlatives and record holders, each checked against its source.

- The top commercial duck: American Pekin, Raised “almost exclusively for market” (A poultry breed guide says the Pekin is to ducks what the Cornish-Rock cross is to chickens. Big breeding lines include Maple Leaf, Cherry Valley and Nankou Pekins.) [2][24]
- Ancestor of most farm ducks: Mallard, Most domestic breeds (All domestic ducks except Muscovies are thought to come from the mallard.) [2][7]
- Fast grower: American Pekin, 3.5 kg+ in 7 weeks (From hatching to more than double an adult mallard’s top weight in under two months.) [1][7]
- One of America’s first standard breeds: American Pekin, 1874 (Included in the first edition of the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection.) [1][2]
- The duck that named a building style: The Big Duck, Long Island, 6 m tall (Built by a duck farmer in 1931 to sell ducks and eggs, it gave architects the word “duck” for buildings shaped like objects. It is on the US National Register of Historic Places.) [25][26]

### A Pekin duck’s life

From incubator to adult in a few months.

- **Before hatching**: Incubator eggs. Pekin hens rarely sit on their eggs, so most are hatched in incubators. [1][2]
- **Hatch day**: Ready to swim. Ducklings of this species can swim as soon as they hatch, covered in fluffy down. [7]
- **First hours**: Imprinting. A newly hatched duckling follows the first moving thing it sees. Without a mother duck, that may be a person. [15][16]
- **Weeks 1–7**: Growth spurt. Pekins can pass 3.5 kg in about seven weeks. Farm Pekins are usually raised for about six weeks. [1][18]
- **About 2 months**: Grown-up feathers. Wild mallard ducklings can fly 50–60 days after hatching. Heavy Pekins mostly stay on the ground. [7][2]
- **Laying age**: Eggs and nests. Hens can lay more than 150 eggs a year and strongly prefer a nest with soft material such as sawdust. [1][2][19]
- **Adult life**: Life in a flock. Pekins are gregarious and talkative and do well as pets. Wild mallards live 3 years on average, but some reach 20. [2][7]

### History of the Pekin duck

From imperial China to Long Island farms.

- **≈3,000 years ago**: Ducks are domesticated. Mallard-type ducks were domesticated in China about 3,000 years ago, possibly earlier. Genome studies show a complex history, with separate meat and egg lines. [1][6][27]
- **1330**: Roast duck in Beijing. A roast duck dish appears in an imperial cookbook of the Yuan dynasty. The dish now called Peking duck took its final form under the later Ming emperors. [28]
- **1872–1873**: The long voyage. Fifteen white ducks hatched in Peking (Beijing) were shipped from Shanghai. Nine survived the 124-day voyage and reached New York on 13 March 1873. [1]
- **1874**: An official breed. The Pekin was included in the first American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection. [1][2]
- **Late 1800s**: The Long Island duck. So many Pekins were raised on Long Island, New York, that they were also called Long Island ducks. [1]
- **1931**: The Big Duck. A Long Island duck farmer built a 6 m duck-shaped shop to sell ducks and eggs. It is now a historic landmark. [25][26]
- **2018**: Genes for white and big. Scientists found gene changes linked to the Pekin’s white down (MITF) and larger size (IGF2BP1). [5]

### Pekin duck vs mallard vs Muscovy

The Pekin is a tame form of the mallard. The Muscovy, the other farm duck, is a different species altogether.

| | Pekin duck | Mallard | Muscovy duck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific name [7][23] | Anas platyrhynchos (domestic) | Anas platyrhynchos | Cairina moschata |
| Wild or domestic [2][7][23] | Domestic breed | Wild (ancestor of most farm ducks) | Wild and domestic |
| Weight [2][7][23] | Drakes 4 kg+ | 0.7–1.6 kg | 2.7–6.8 kg |
| Colour [2][7][23] | Creamy white | Green-headed drake, brown hen | Mostly white in farm birds; many colours |
| Flying [2][7][23] | Barely | Strong flier | Wild birds roost in trees |
| Voice [12][23] | Hens quack loudly | Hens quack loudly | Hisses at threats; quacks as contact calls |
| Nest [1][12][23] | Rarely sits; incubators | 9–13 eggs on the ground near water | Tree hollows 3–18 m up |
| Comes from [1][7][23] | China, via the USA (1873) | Northern Hemisphere | Mexico, Central and South America |

Pekins and mallards can have fertile young together, because they are the same species.

### Are Pekin ducks endangered?

No. Pekins are farmed in huge numbers: more than 200 million ducks are raised for meat each year in the US and EU alone. The real questions are about their welfare and about domestic ducks mixing with wild ones.

- **IUCN Red List:** Least Concern (LC). The IUCN rates the species Anas platyrhynchos as Least Concern. Domestic breeds are not assessed separately, and breed guides list the Pekin’s conservation status as “not applicable”. [20][7][2]
- IUCN Red List (wild mallard), Least Concern since 1998
- **Threat: Mixing with wild ducks**: Large releases of game-farm mallards, a domestic breed, are changing the genes of wild mallards, especially in central Europe and eastern North America. [21][7]
- **Threat: No water to bathe in**: Ducks kept without bathing water preen less and grow smaller preen glands. European scientists list access to water as a key welfare need. [10][17]
- **Threat: Predators**: Heavy breeds like the Pekin are slow and can’t fly away, so they are easy prey for foxes, dogs and coyotes without a fence. [2]
- **Helping: Water for preening**: Even small preening cups let Pekin ducks wet-preen more, without harming their growth. [18]
- **Helping: Better nests**: Studies show laying Pekins strongly prefer nests with sawdust, which helps farms design better nest boxes. [19]
- **Helping: Research-based standards**: Scientists are reviewing duck welfare studies to set clear standards for the hundreds of millions of ducks raised each year. [22][17]
- **Mallard** (LC): The Pekin’s wild ancestor is common and widespread across the Northern Hemisphere. [20][7]

### Pekin duck signals

- Dipping the head in water and splashing it over the back: Wet preening: cleaning and caring for the feathers. Ducks do much more of it when they have water to bathe in. [10][18]
- A long, loud series of quacks that gets softer: A hen’s hail call, used to bring other ducks or her ducklings to her. [12]
- Ducklings trailing after one person or object: Imprinting: they follow the first thing they saw after hatching. [15]
- A hen searching and pushing to reach a nest box: She is ready to lay and strongly wants a nest with soft, diggable material like sawdust. [19]

### Looks

- **Pekin drake (male)**: Creamy white all over with a yellow to orange bill and orange feet. Like other mallard-type drakes, he has curled feathers in the middle of his tail. (Heavy class: adult drakes weigh 4 kg or more) [2][1][7]
- **Pekin hen (female)**: Looks like the drake but has no curled tail feathers. She makes the loud quack. (Lays 150+ white eggs a year but rarely sits on them) [7][12][1][2]
- **Duckling**: Soft, pale down (white to yellow), without the black back of a wild mallard duckling, which is black above and yellow below. (Can swim on hatching day and reaches 3.5 kg+ in about 7 weeks) [5][7][1]
- **Mallard (wild ancestor)**: Drakes have a glossy green head and a yellowish bill; hens are mottled brown. Both weigh only 0.7–1.6 kg and fly well. (Same species as the Pekin. Least Concern on the IUCN Red List) [7][12][20][21]

### Pekin duck quiz

1. Which wild duck is the Pekin a domestic form of? **Mallard.** Pekins are domestic mallards, Anas platyrhynchos. [7][2]
2. In what year did the first Pekin ducks reach New York? **1873.** Nine ducks survived a 124-day voyage and arrived on 13 March 1873. [1]
3. Which ducks make the loud classic “quack”? **Hens.** The quack is the hen’s decrescendo call. [12]
4. What do the comb-like ridges along a duck’s bill do? **Sieve food from water.** Dabbling ducks pump water through the bill and keep the food behind the ridges (lamellae). [2][3]
5. Where is a duck’s preen gland? **At the base of the tail.** The preen gland sits on the back at the base of the tail. [8]
6. What mainly keeps water out of duck feathers? **The feathers’ tiny structure.** Preen oil keeps feathers in good condition, but their microstructure is essential. [9]
7. About how many eggs can a Pekin hen lay in a year? **150+.** More than 150 a year, but she rarely sits on them. [1][2]
8. How heavy can a Pekin be at about 7 weeks old? **3.5 kg+.** Pekins can pass 3.5 kg in about seven weeks. [1]
9. What is imprinting? **Ducklings following the first thing they see.** Konrad Lorenz showed incubator-hatched birds follow whatever they first see. [15]
10. What extra part do drakes have in their voice box? **A bony bulla.** Males have a hollow bony bulla on the left side of the syrinx. [13][14]
11. Which gene is linked to the Pekin’s white down? **MITF.** A change in MITF is linked to white down. IGF2BP1 is linked to size. [5][6]
12. The Muscovy duck is… **A different species from the Americas.** The Muscovy, Cairina moschata, is native to Mexico, Central and South America. [23]

### Sources (checked 2026-10-16)

1. [Wikipedia (2026). American Pekin.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Pekin)
2. [Ekarius C (2007). Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, pp. 170–193 (Waterfowl; Pekin).](https://archive.org/details/Storeys_Illustrated_Guide_to_Poultry_Breeds_Complete)
3. [Wikipedia (2026). Duck.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck)
4. [Schneider ER, Mastrotto M, Laursen WJ, et al. (2014). Neuronal mechanism for acute mechanosensitivity in tactile-foraging waterfowl. PNAS 111:14941–14946.](https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1413656111)
5. [Zhou Z, Li M, Cheng H, et al. (2018). An intercross population study reveals genes associated with body size and plumage color in ducks. Nature Communications 9:2648.](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04868-4)
6. [Zhang Z, Jia Y, Almeida P, et al. (2018). Whole-genome resequencing reveals signatures of selection and timing of duck domestication. GigaScience 7(4):giy027.](https://doi.org/10.1093/gigascience/giy027)
7. [Wikipedia (2026). Mallard.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallard)
8. [Wikipedia (2026). Uropygial gland.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uropygial_gland)
9. [Giraudeau M, Duval C, Guillon N, Bretagnolle V, Gutierrez C, Heeb P (2010). Effects of access to preen gland secretions on mallard plumage. Naturwissenschaften 97.](https://doi.org/10.1007/s00114-010-0673-z)
10. [Mi J, Wang H, Chen X, et al. (2020). Lack of access to an open water source for bathing inhibited the development of the preen gland and preening behavior in Sanshui White ducks. Poultry Science 99.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2020.08.018)
11. [McQueen A, Barnaby R, Symonds MRE, Tattersall GJ (2023). Birds are better at regulating heat loss through their legs than their bills. Biology Letters 19:20230373.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0373)
12. [Rogers D (n.d.). Anas platyrhynchos (mallard). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Anas_platyrhynchos/)
13. [Mishkind D, Kaneelil PR, Lester M, Mahadevan L, Tabin CJ, Goller F (2025). Courtship vocalizations in male ducks: spectral composition and resonance of the syringeal bulla. Journal of Experimental Biology 228.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.250117)
14. [Frank T, Walter I, Probst A, König HE (2006). Histological aspects of the syrinx of the male mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia 35:396–401.](https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0264.2006.00701.x)
15. [NobelPrize.org (2026). Konrad Lorenz – Facts. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1973.](https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/medicine/1973/lorenz/facts/)
16. [Martinho A, Kacelnik A (2016). Ducklings imprint on the relational concept of “same or different”. Science 353:286–288.](https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf4247)
17. [EFSA Panel on Animal Health and Animal Welfare (2023). Welfare of ducks, geese and quail on farm. EFSA Journal 21:7992.](https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2023.7992)
18. [Schober JM, Merritt J, Swanson M, et al. (2023). Preening cups increase apparent wet preening behaviors, but have no impact on other behaviors, body condition, growth, or body morphometrics of grow-out Pekin ducks. Poultry Science 102:103145.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2023.103145)
19. [Barrett L, Maloney SK, Blache D (2023). Pekin ducks are motivated to lay in their preferred nest substrate. Animal Welfare 32.](https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2023.19)
20. [Wikidata (2026). Mallard (Q25348): Anas platyrhynchos; IUCN conservation status Least Concern (P141).](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25348)
21. [Lavretsky P, Mohl JE, Söderquist P, Kraus RHS, Schummer ML, Brown JI (2023). The meaning of wild: genetic and adaptive consequences from large-scale releases of domestic mallards. Communications Biology 6.](https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-05170-w)
22. [Makagon MM, Riber AB (2022). Setting research driven duck-welfare standards: a systematic review of Pekin duck welfare research. Poultry Science 101:101614.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2021.101614)
23. [Schagene A (n.d.). Cairina moschata (Muscovy duck). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cairina_moschata/)
24. [Zhang X, Zhao X, Yang F, et al. (2026). Genome-wide analysis reveals signatures of artificial selection in Pekin ducks across decades of breeding. Poultry Science.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.106462)
25. [Wikipedia (2026). Big Duck.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Duck)
26. [US National Park Service (2026). Big Duck, The. National Register Information System ID 97000164. NPGallery.](https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/97000164)
27. [Guo X, He XX, Chen H, et al. (2021). Revisiting the evolutionary history of domestic and wild ducks based on genomic analyses. Zoological Research 42(1).](https://doi.org/10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2020.133)
28. [Wikipedia (2026). Peking duck.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peking_duck)

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 50-80 cm
- **Wingspan:** 90-110 cm
- **Weight:** 3.6-5 kg
- **Lifespan:** 9-12 years
- **Clutch Size:** 8-12
- **Incubation:** 28 days
- **Migration Distance:** 0 km

## Diet & Feeding

Pekin ducks enjoy a mixed diet of plants, insects, and grains found in water and on land.

- **Primary Foods:** Grains, Seeds, Aquatic plants, Small insects, Worms, Slugs
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [Red Fox](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-fox) (*Vulpes vulpes*) — Foxes are common predators of Pekin ducks.
- **Eaten by:** [Raccoon](https://www.snappit.app/explore/raccoon) (*Procyon lotor*) — Raccoons might prey on duck eggs or small ducklings.
- **Eaten by:** [Human](https://www.snappit.app/explore/human) (*Homo sapiens*) — Humans raise Pekin ducks for their meat and eggs.

## Traits

- [Feathered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/feathered): Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.
- [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming.
- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Omnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/omnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet includes both plant and animal matter.
- [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces.

## Collections

- [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Pekin ducks are gentle animals, but it's best to watch them from a distance and not startle them.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Pekin Duck?

Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Pekin Duck?

50-80 cm

### What is Pekin Duck's wingspan?

90-110 cm

### How much does Pekin Duck weigh?

3.6-5 kg

### How long does Pekin Duck live?

9-12 years

### What does Pekin Duck eat?

Pekin ducks enjoy a mixed diet of plants, insects, and grains found in water and on land.

### How many eggs does Pekin Duck lay?

8-12

## Where to spot

- [Batesville East Main Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/batesville-east-main-historic-district) — Arkansas, US · Historic District
- [Falls Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/falls-park) — South Dakota, US · Park
- [Forest Hill Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/forest-hill-park) — Ohio, US · Park
- [Fort Brown](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-brown) — US · Historic Site
- [Fort Payne Boom Town Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-payne-boom-town-historic-district) — Alabama, US · Historic District
- [Hollywood Forever Cemetery](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hollywood-forever-cemetery) — California, US · Historic Site

[View all places to see Pekin Duck](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/pekin-duck)

## More Birds

- [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*)
- [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*)
- [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*)
- [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*)

---

Source: [Pekin Duck: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/pekin-duck)