Indian Runner Duck

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Anas platyrhynchos

CLASSIFICATION

Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Genus:	Anas
Species:	playrhynchos

SIZE

Length:	Male:	26-32 inches
	Female:	24-28 inches
Weight:	Male:	1700-2000 grams
	Female:	1600-1900 grams
Wingspan:	Wings are very small, eliminating the ability to fly

APPEARANCE:

With its upright carriage and bottle-shaped body, the Indian Runner Duck is one of the most identifiable breeds. Like most domestic ducks, the Indian Runner is a series developed from the wild mallard. It can be a variety of colors including black, white, chocolate, Cumberland blue, fawn, mallard, white, and trout. Its body is long and cylindrical with sloping shoulders. Just like a bowling pin, the Indian Runner funnels gradually from body to neck to a small head with a wedge shaped bill. Its wings are small and close to the body, overlapping in the rear. The Indian Runner Duck originally came from the East Indies; and, as one would expect, runs rather than waddles. They are unique in the extreme body shape and posture, looking to the inexperienced eye more like bowling pins than normal ducks.

RANGE/DISTRIBUTION:

Indian Runner Ducks are a domesticated species that exist in many parts of the world.

HABITAT/TERRITORY SIZE:

Domestic care setting with access to pond or other water.

MIGRATION:

Runner Ducks do not migrate since they are domesticated.

DIET:

Indian Runner Ducks primarily eat duck pellets but also seem to enjoy lettuce leaves.

HUNTING METHOD:

Not applicable.

BREEDING INFORMATION:

Although the Indian Runner is an extremely fertile egg layer, it is not likely to sit on the eggs to hatch them. The female can lay as many as 180 eggs in just one year. Breeders who do not have access to an incubator sometimes place the eggs under another “broody” duck in order to hatch them. Incubation is 28 days. The Indian Runner, unlike some other duck breeds, does not need water for breeding. Ducklings are best raised in small flocks.

BEHAVIOR:

Nicknamed the “Bowling Pin” duck, the Indian Runner does not fly or waddle; the position of its legs allow it to run fast. The Indian Runner Duck is often exhibited since people can handle it without problems, but it is easily excitable and can be prone to panic if cornered.

STATUS:

The Indian Runner Duck is considered “watch” status by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy with fewer than 5,000 breeding birds in North America and 10 or fewer breeding flocks.

FOLKLORE AND MYTHS:

Indian Runner Ducks are considered a very special breed of domestic duck. When they were first imported into Europe in the 1800’s, they attracted attention because of their tall, upright bodies and their incredible reputation for egg-laying. They had been found in the East Indies, from which they get their present name, but were referred to as “Penguin Ducks” by Dutch explorers and some of the early importers.

Records of stone carvings in Java seem to suggest an origin of 2000 years ago or more.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Indian Runner Duck Association, www.runnerduck.net

• Houston Zoo, Houston, Texas, www.houstonzoo.org