These are the six factors that cover the colours of calls :-

Mallard factor wild pattern/dusky mallard./restricted mallard

The mallard factor allows full expression of the "wild type" pattern. It is dominant to the dusky factor and recessive to the restricted factor. Each factor produces its own pattern in ducklings and in adult birds.

Mallard: Ducklings: Olive-black with four spots on the back, the head is yellow with two ocular(eye) stripes from the base of the bill to the dorsal area.

Adults: The male bears full expression of the wild type. The female is rich buff brown with a dark line running from the base of the bill through the eye and a dark patch on the crown that runs down the neck. Each feather is distinctly pencilled with black or very dark brown.

Dusky Mallard: Ducklings: The back is olive-black shading off to olive-grey on the under side, with an absence of ocular stripes and dorsal spots.

Adult males: There is usually an absence of the neck ring and the claret breasts either missing or very small.

Adult females: She is very dark and lacks eye stripes and cap.

Restricted Mallard: Ducklings: Dark pigment on the back is confined to patches on the head and tail. The remainder is dull yellow with dark under colour.

Adults: In both sexes the difference is on the wing front and bow. The restricted bird always shows areas of white on the dorsal surface. This is due to the white lacing or tipping rather than completely white feathers. The feathers may have a silvery cast to them. The females wing bow appears paler than in the wild type mallard or Dusky.

Each of these genes affect the mallard colour. The dominant factor is dark phase; it allows full expression of any one of the three mallard factors which happen to be present.

Light phase: It lightens the colour of the adult plumage in the female and intensifies the colour of the male.

Ducklings: At 19 to 20 days will have white spot under the chin. The light phase ducklings never have more than one unbroken stripe running through the eye. Dark phase usually have two. When these two phases are with dusky mallard it is impossible to tell at that day old.

Adults: The light phase is brought about by the reduction of the size of the dark portion of each feather. It increases the area of claret on the breast and extends it along the sides over the shoulders. A minor modification in the males causes the black on the back to reduce to grey.

Light phase/Dusky Mallard: Will produce some claret in the breast region of the males. A lighter tone occurs in the light phase dusky female.

Harlequin Phase: Ducklings: Hunter in 1939 described a variation from the wild pattern. The mutation appeared in a flock of wild mallard that had been domesticated and in bred for about twenty four years. The ducklings were yellow with a smokey coloured down on their heads and tails.

Adults: The ducks were almost entirely white on the breast. They had greyish heads and light coloured wings and tails. The black markings of the male and the wing specular of both sexes were quite normal.

Blue Fawn: Male: Dark seal blue head, neck and speculum, with claret breast.

Female: Grey blue and rich fawn, blue speculum, fawn laced feathers.

Pastel:dilution of the Blue Fawn: Male: Silver blue head, neck and specular, claret breast with a shaded silver blue body.

Female: Shading from golden fawn to silver blue. Rich fawn eye streak and cap golden fawn chest and blue speculum.

Aztec Blue: wild pattern on lavender or silver: Male: Dark silver head and neck and speculum. Claret breast shaded silver body.

Female: Soft silver blue (no fawn) darker speculum, shaded silver body.

Nutmeg: This is the brighter form of the khaki in the wild pattern.

Male: Dark Brown head, neck and iridescent brown specular. Claret breast, soft brown vermiculation on the flank.

Female: The colour is similar to the khaki but will be lighter,brighter with each feather distincly pencilled with a brilliant specular.

Ginger: When you dilute nutmeg it becomes the buff colour in the wild pattern.

Male: Soft brown head with matching speculum, white ring bras, rich claret breast on soft buff body.

Female: Golden buff, slight eye stripe, very light wing bows and primaries, speculum white bars with soft tan.

Black: Flat even tone of black

Blue: dark without rust stones

Silver: Soft blue silver

Chocolate: Rich even tones of chocolate

Khaki: Soft subtle pencilling without much speculum

Buff: Tan head no speculum

Cocoa or Dunn: Light form of chocolate may come from blue cross

Bibbed: This is controlled by a completely dominant gene. It could appear on any of the self colours.

Runner pattern: The cap is separated from the cheek markings by an extension of the neck white which covers the entire neck.The breast white starts infront of the thigh and passes between the legs to beyond the vent. A third area of white is present on the wings covering the primaries, secondariness and lower part of the wing bow. This pattern can be bred on self colours and wild mallard colours.

For example:-

Fawn & White.......................self colour

Pencilled................................Dusky Mallard

Pied Drake/Duck call and other bantam ducks

blue silver pied drake..............Dark silver pied duck call

Hooded or Magpie pattern: This is most likely a modified runner pattern and could be bred on any solid or wild colour

Light Phase on Restricted Mallard or Wild Mallard

(e.g. Trout Runner Colouration)

Aleutian : Grey Patterns with a reduction of the size of the dark portion of each feather.

Cinnamon: Grey Pattern with a reduction of the size of the dark portion of each feather.

*this group could come in any of the colours*

Harlequin Phase: Spot: These look like the mallards Hunter described in the mutation from wild mallards (Hunter 1939). The female is almost entirely white,m greyish head, light coloured wing and tail, normal speculum. Males are the lightest in the harlequin group with normal markings.

Snowy: Red-buff head, some red on the chest and shoulders, black and red spotting on the back with a violet speculum. Males darker and more red than the spot male.

Blue snowy: Blue replaces the black in the males and females.

Chocolate snowy: Chocolate replaces the red on the male and female.

minor modifications in the harlequins restricts the colour under the chin and around the neck down the breast and ventral areas of the female. The male will have white eye streaks in the eclipse plumage.

Appleyard: The wild mallard.

Butterscotch: female: Rich golden red eye streaks over white

Male: Rich blue with claret extending over the shoulders, down the flank and low on the breast region.

Yellow bellies: This is the same pattern as the butterscotch female,wild colour on the back and head, The eye streaks and the entire underside is yellow.

Male: Wild pattern with yellow belly.