There are two varieties, one called gold and one called silver. The birds have mottled feather colouring; the silver ones have more gray tones to them.
The males have greenish blue shanks and a dark bill; females have greenish slate coloured shanks, and an orange bill with a dark tip.
The bird is calm, and rarely flies. It likes to forage for food.
Males will weigh 5 to 5 ½ pounds (2.2 to 2.5 kg); females will weigh 4 ½ to 5 lbs (2. to 2.24 kg.)
The females are very good egg layers, producing 275 to 350 white or greenish-shelled eggs a year, each weighing about 65.
The table meat is also good.
History Notes
Welsh Harlequin Ducks were developed from Khaki Campbell ducks near Criccieth, Wales in 1949 by a Captain Leslie Bonnet.
The breed was further developed in the 1960s by Edward Grayson in Lancashire, England.
The duck was introduced into America by a John Fugate of Tennessee in 1968, and recognized by the American Poultry Association in 2001.
Sources
Traverse, Erin. The Welsh Harlequin Duck. SPPA Bulletin, 2000, 5(1):3-4