The Silver Bantam is a small-sized British breed of
domestic duck
Domestic ducks (mainly mallards, ''Anas platyrhynchos domesticus'', with some Muscovy ducks, ''Cairina moschata domestica'') are ducks that have been domesticated and raised for meat and egg (food), eggs. A few are kept for show, or for thei ...
developed by Reginald Appleyard.
History
Developed in the late 1940s by Reginald Appleyard in
Suffolk
Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
with the name "Miniature Silver Appleyard", it was intended to be very attractive and docile ducks. The breed is known to be a crossing of
Khaki Campbell
The Campbell is a British breed of domestic duck. It was developed at Uley, in Gloucestershire, England, at the turn of the 20th century; being introduced to the public in 1898 and the Khaki variety in 1901.
History
Mrs Adele Campbell GRO ...
s and
White calls, the duck received very little interest until its standardization in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
year 1997 where it received the new name of "Silver Bantam".
In the late 1950s and early 1960s a small number of females started to be born with yellow bars on their wings as opposed to their usual color. These unusual females were exceptionally attractive but eventually all died off and no more females have been documented to have been born with similar colors.
Description
Females have a buff-colored “hood” on their head and can weigh up to whilst the males have an iridescent green hood when in nuptial plumage during the breeding season, similar to that of the wild
mallard
The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. It has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...
, and a black hood when in eclipse plumage that disguises their body of .
Females can lay in between 60 and 160 small eggs every year. The duck is also known to be tame and easy to manage.
Conservation
As of 2007, the
FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...
marked the duck as "Critical".
In 2002 the total population was estimated to be between 50 and 100 individuals.
[{{Cite web , year=2006 , title=Silver Bantam Duck / United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (Duck (domestic)) , url=https://dadis-breed-datasheet-ws.firebaseapp.com/?country=GBR&specie=Duck%20(domestic)&breed=Silver%20Bantam%20Duck&external=1&lang=en# , access-date=2024-01-28 , website=dadis-breed-datasheet-ws.firebaseapp.com , publisher=Domestic Animal Diversity Information System of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations]
References
Duck breeds originating in the United Kingdom
Duck breeds