![]() : 70 If they are to be hatched, the incubation time for the eggs is 28 days. At the beginning of the laying season the eggs are dark and may be almost black they gradually lighten to the usual pale greenish blue or almost to white by the end of the season. : 70 Ducks may lay some 100–150 large eggs per year. In the twenty-first century it may be reared for meat and eggs, but is most often kept for ornament or for showing. : 70 From about 1890 it began to be displaced by the American Pekin, which did not have the black pinfeathers of the Cayuga and so was easier to pluck and clean for sale. In the second half of the nineteenth century it became the principal duck breed reared for meat in the United States. : 440 The bill, legs and feet are black or as nearly so as possible the eyes are dark brown. : 440 : 412 The plumage is black with iridescent beetle-green lights particularly in ducks, some feathers may fade or whiten as the bird ages, which can be a disqualifying fault for showing. The Cayuga is a medium to heavy duck standard weights are 3.6 kg (8 lb) for adult drakes and 3.2 kg (7 lb) for ducks. ![]() ![]() In 2008 its status in the United States was listed as "threatened" by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (now The Livestock Conservancy) in 2020 it was listed as "watch". Its conservation status world-wide was listed by the FAO in 2007 as "not at risk". : 439 : 411 In the second half of the nineteenth century it became the principal duck breed reared for meat in the United States, : 70 but from about 1890 was rapidly displaced by the American Pekin. It was first exported to the United Kingdom in 1851 : 464 the first British standard was published in 1901. The Cayuga was included in the first edition of the American Standard of Perfection in 1874. : 70 The breed is named for the indigenous Cayuga people of the area. Clark obtained some ducks of this type in Orange County, New York, and took them to Cayuga County in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. The Cayuga has other characteristics compatible with derivation from the Mallard in particular, it shows the typical curled "drake feather" in the tail, while Anas rubripes does not. : 70 Unlike Anas rubripes, the Cayuga is a true black in color this color is the result of a genetic mutation fairly common in breeds derived from Anas platyrhynchos. A much-repeated theory that it descends not from the mallard like almost all domestic ducks, but from Anas rubripes, the American black duck, remains unsubstantiated and unverified by any scientific evidence. : 70 In the twenty-first century it is kept mainly for ornament. Until the last years of the nineteenth century it was the principal duck reared for meat in the United States. It was introduced to the Finger Lakes region of New York State in about 1840, and is named for the Cayuga people of that area. While the provenance of the birds spotted in Canterbury is unknown, it is believed they may have been released into the wild by an owner.The Cayuga is an American breed of domestic duck. In America, they are listed under 'watch' on The Livestock Conservancy’s Conservation Priority List, meaning there are fewer than 5,000 breeding birds in the US, and fewer than 10,000 worldwide.īut little is known about the number currently living in the wild in the UK. A slightly enhanced version of the photo, which Ms Macintyre-Randall shared on Facebook. The British Waterfowl Association says the Cayuga's "fabulous beetle-green lustre" is caused by refraction of light on the structure of its black feathers.īoth male and female Cayuga ducks have the same shimmering plumage, but drakes can be distinguished by their curly tail feathers.īritish charity Rare Breeds Survival Trust describes the birds as "generally quite calm and easy going". "I've never seen them here before, or anywhere else for that matter."Ĭayugas are an American breed of domestic duck, which take their name from Lake Cayuga in New York State. The duck was spotted on the River Stour in Canterbury, where water levels are currently high after a prolonged period of rain "I got accosted by a gang of ducks earlier near a river in the centre of Canterbury, and there were two unusual looking ones that I'd not seen before," he wrote. Several people have responded to Ms Macintyre-Randall's post, saying they too have sighted the impressive-looking duck.Īnd in a post on the RSPB's wildlife forum in May, a user named Paul reported seeing a pair of them together.
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