Welsh Harlequin

The Welsh Harlequin is a breed of domestic duck originating in Wales. In 1949, in Criccieth, Group Captain Leslie Bonnet discovered a colour mutation among his flock of Khaki Campbells and began selective breeding for the trait. By 1968, hatching eggs were exported to the United States, followed by the importation of live birds in 1981.^[1]^: 199

Today, the Welsh Harlequin is a light-weight duck breed known for its vivid plumage and egg laying ability. Over the years the colour and conformation of the breed has changed, indicating that likely new blood of another breed has been introduced.^[2] Welsh Harlequins weigh 4.5 to 5.5 pounds (2-2.5 kilos). Females have a black bill and brown legs and feet, and their plumage is similar to a mallard but heavily frosted with white. They also lack the eye stripes of mallard females. Drakes are also similar to a heavily frosted Mallard with a yellow/green bill and orange legs and feet. There is also a color variation known as "golden", popular in the UK, which replaces the black feather pigments with a light golden brown color.^[3] Welsh Harlequins have a unique, natural sex-linked characteristic.^[2] As day olds, sex can be determined based on bill colour with over 90% accuracy. Young drakes will have darker bills while female with have lighter with a dark spot at the tip of the bill.^[2]

The birds produce a lean carcass and are active foragers, though they are sometimes more vulnerable to predators such as birds of prey due to their light colouration. The egg laying ability is highly valued as the production exhibited by some ducks rivals that of hens. The breed is prone to broodiness and a pair can easily produce young without human interference. They have become a popular backyard pet in recent years due to the bird's calm demeanor and high egg production.

The Welsh Harlequin was admitted to the American Poultry Association's Standard of Perfection in 2001.^[1]^: 199 As of 2016 the Welsh Harlequin in North America has jumped from critical to watched by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

References

^ ^a ^b Carol Ekarius (2007). Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds. North Adams, Massachusetts: Storey Publishing. ISBN 9781580176675.
^ ^a ^b ^c Holderread, Dave (2001). Storey's Guide to Raising Ducks. North Adams, MA, USA: Storey Publishing. p. 42.
^ American Poultry Association Standard of Perfection, 2010

"Welsh Harlequin Duck". 2016 update - Rare Breeds Watchlist. American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

v t e Welsh breeds
Dogs	Pembroke Welsh Corgi Old Welsh Grey Sheepdog Black and Tan Terrier Cardigan Welsh Corgi Sealyham Terrier Welsh Corgi Welsh hillman Welsh Hound Welsh Sheepdog Welsh springer spaniel Welsh terrier
Cattle	Glamorgan cattle Pembroke cattle Vaynol cattle Welsh Black cattle
Sheep	Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep Beulah Speckled Face Black Welsh Mountain sheep Brecknock Hill Cheviot Kerry Hill sheep Llanwenog sheep Lleyn sheep Welsh Mountain sheep
Pig	Welsh pig
Birds	Brecon Buff Goose Welsh Harlequin
Horse	Welsh Pony and Cob

Agriculture in Wales

Organisations

Culture

Industries

Land use

Welsh
animal breeds

Sheep	Welsh mule ewes Llanwenog sheep Black Welsh Mountain sheep Lleyn sheep Balwen Welsh Mountain sheep Badger Face Welsh Mountain sheep Beulah Speckled Face
Other	Welsh Black cattle Welsh pig Welsh Harlequin Brecon Buff Goose Welsh Sheepdog

Livestock breeds of the British Isles

Cattle

Beef cattle	Aberdeen Angus Beef Shorthorn Belted Galloway Blue Grey Devon Dexter English Longhorn Galloway Hereford Highland Lincoln Red Luing Shorthorn South Devon Sussex Welsh Black
Dairy cattle	Ayrshire Dairy Shorthorn Guernsey Jersey Kerry
Dual purpose	Albion British White Droimeann Irish Moiled Glamorgan Old Gloucester Pembroke Red Poll Shetland Whitebred Shorthorn
Primitive	Chillingham Wild Cattle Tory Island Vaynol White Park
Extinct	Alderney Blue Albion

Sheep

Extant	Badger Face Welsh Mountain Balwen Welsh Mountain Beulah Speckled Face Black Welsh Mountain Bluefaced Leicester Border Cheviot Border Leicester Brecknock Hill Cheviot British Milksheep Cambridge Cheviot Clun Forest Cotswold Dalesbred Derbyshire Gritstone Devon Closewool Devon and Cornwall Longwool Dorset Down Dorset Horn Easycare Exmoor Horn Galway Greyface Dartmoor Hampshire Down Herdwick Hill Radnor Kerry Hill Leicester Longwool Lincoln Llanwenog Lleyn Lonk Masham Norfolk Horn North Country Cheviot Oxford Down Portland Romney Rough Fell Ryeland Scottish Blackface Shetland Shropshire Southdown Suffolk Swaledale Teeswater Welsh Mountain Wensleydale Whiteface Dartmoor Whitefaced Woodland Wiltshire Horn
Primitive	Boreray Castlemilk Moorit Hebridean Jacob Manx Loaghtan North Ronaldsay Soay
Extinct	Devon Longwool Scottish Dunface South Devon

Pigs

Extant	Berkshire British Landrace British Lop British Saddleback Essex Gloucestershire Old Spots Large Black Large White Middle White Oxford Sandy and Black Tamworth Welsh Wessex Saddleback
Extinct	Cumberland Dorset Gold Tip Grice Irish Greyhound Pig Large White Ulster Lincolnshire Curly Coat Small Black Small White Yorkshire Blue and White

Goats

Poultry

Chickens	Croad Langshan Derbyshire Redcap Dorking Ixworth Indian Game Legbar Modern Game Modern Langshan Nankin Bantam Norfolk Grey Old English Game Old English Pheasant Fowl Orpington Rosecomb Scots Dumpy Scots Grey Sebright Sussex
Ducks	Abacot Ranger Aylesbury Orpington Khaki Campbell Magpie Shetland Silver Appleyard Welsh Harlequin
Geese	Brecon Buff Shetland

This page was last edited on 10 October 2023, at 15:37

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References