Duck Friends
Duck breeds/Call
Domestic breed

Call

Anas platyrhynchos domesticus

A tiny bantam duck bred centuries ago to lure wild ducks into traps, with a high loud quack, a friendly manner and the ability to fly.

Tristan W, Pexels · Pexels License
White Call duck perched on a wooden post at sunset

White Call duck perched on a wooden post at sunset (1 of 1) — Tristan W, Pexels, Pexels License

Facts at a glance

Ranges, not exact numbers. sources differ means our sources disagree; typical means consistent keeper and hatchery reports rather than a measured standard. A dash means we have no sourced value yet.

Basics
Origin
Where it was developed

The country or region where the breed was first developed. Some breeds are named after a place that is not where they actually came from.

Netherlands[1]
Metzer says they were developed in the Netherlands in the 17th or 18th century.
Purpose
What it was bred for

The job the breed was developed for: eggs, meat, both, or looks. Any duck can be a pet, but this tells you what its body and habits are built around, such as how many eggs to expect or how big it grows.

Ornamental[1][2]typical
Originally decoys. Kentucky Extension says bantam ducks are particularly good for exhibition because of their size.
APA class
Size class in the show standard

The American Poultry Association sorts the breeds it recognises into heavy, medium, light and bantam (miniature) classes by body size. It is a quick size shorthand, and matters most if you want to show ducks.

Bantam[2][3]
Livestock Conservancy status
How rare it is in the US

The Livestock Conservancy tracks heritage breeds that are becoming rare. Critical, Threatened and Watch mean progressively more birds. Recovering means it used to be listed and is doing better. "Not listed" only means it is not on their list, not that anything is wrong with it.

Not listed[4]
Not on the 2026 priority list. That is absence from the list, not a health rating.
Size
Weight, hen
Adult female weight

Typical weight of a grown hen. Hens are the females, the ones that lay eggs. Hatchery birds can be heavier or lighter than the show standard, so treat this as a guide.

1.12–1.25 lb (0.51–0.57 kg)[2]
1.12-1.25 lb. Metzer lists 1-2 lb for its breeders across both sexes.
Weight, drake
Adult male weight

Typical weight of a grown drake. Drakes are the males; in most breeds they have a curled feather on the tail. They are usually heavier than hens.

1.38–1.62 lb (0.63–0.74 kg)[2]
1.38-1.62 lb.
Appearance
Varieties / colours
Colour forms

Many breeds come in several colours, called varieties. They can differ in looks and sometimes in temperament or egg colour.

Black, Blue, Gray, Pastel, Penciled, Snowy, White[1]typical
These are the colours Metzer offers, not a full list of recognised varieties.
Temperament
Temperament
Calm or jumpy

Whether the breed tends to be calm and friendly or skittish and quick to startle. Individual ducks vary a lot and how they are raised matters, so this is a tendency, not a promise.

Friendly[1][3]typical
Metzer calls them friendly and sociable and scores them 1.0, its calmest rating; its page also quotes customers who found them aggressive or frightened, so individuals vary.
Noise
How loud

How loud the breed tends to be. In many breeds the hens do the loud quacking and the drakes only rasp. This is the first thing to check if you have close neighbours.

Loud[1]typical
Metzer describes a distinctive, livelier and higher-pitched quack, and says the loud quack is what made Calls effective decoys. It gives no measurement.
Flight
Can it fly away?

Whether the breed can get off the ground. Flightless breeds stay in behind an ordinary fence. Strong fliers may need a covered run or wing clipping.

Strong flier[1][3]
Metzer's page warns Calls can fly very well.
Broodiness
Likes to sit on eggs

A broody duck sits on her eggs to hatch them, then raises the ducklings. Highly broody breeds will hatch eggs for you. Breeds that rarely go broody lay more, but you need an incubator or another duck to hatch their eggs.

Occasionally[3]typical
Metzer rates mothering Good.
Foraging
Finds its own food

How actively the breed hunts bugs, slugs and greens on its own. Good foragers can cut garden pests but still need proper feed.

Medium[3]typical
Rated Good.
Eggs
Eggs per year
Eggs per hen per year

Typical yearly laying for a hen. Numbers vary widely by strain (show lines lay far fewer than farm lines), by season, and by whether lights are used in winter.

20–50[2][3]

Quick answers

How big do Call ducks get?
Hens weigh about 1.12–1.25 lb (0.51–0.57 kg); drakes about 1.38–1.62 lb (0.63–0.74 kg).
How many eggs do Call ducks lay?
20–50 eggs a hen per year.
Can Call ducks fly?
Strong flier.
Are Call ducks loud?
Loud.
Our take · our opinion, not sourced

Often a good fit for: small yards and limited space, hobby and show flocks, keepers who can live with a loud quack.

Built to call other ducks

The Call duck is a tiny breed developed in the Netherlands in the 17th or 18th century, bred to lure wild ducks into traps or nets [1]. The name fits: Metzer says the small size and loud quacking made them effective decoys [1]. Today they are a bantam breed in the American Poultry Association's standard, alongside the East Indie and the Mallard [2].

Small, really small

Kentucky Extension gives Call hens at about 1.12 to 1.25 pounds and drakes at 1.38 to 1.62 [2]. Metzer lists its breeders at 1 to 2 pounds across both sexes [3]. Compare that with a Pekin at eight to ten pounds. A Call is small enough that people keep them in spaces that would be crowded with a larger breed, and Metzer markets them as a petite breed that suits smaller living spaces [1]. They are not on the Livestock Conservancy's 2026 priority list [4].

Noise

If there is one thing to check before you buy a Call, it is the noise. Metzer describes a distinctive quack that is livelier and higher pitched than other ducks [1], and points to the loud quacking as the reason they were used as decoys [1]. It does not give a measurement, and we could not find a trustworthy source that does. A Call is a poor fit if you have close neighbours and a low tolerance for sound. We rate noise as loud, labelled "typical" because it is a hatchery's description.

They can fly

Unlike Pekins and Runners, Call ducks fly very well. Metzer's page includes a specific warning about it [1], and its comparison table rates their flying ability as very good [3]. Plan for a covered run, or be prepared to clip wings, rather than assuming a low fence is enough.

Temperament and eggs

Metzer calls Calls friendly and sociable [1], and scores them 1.0, its calmest value, on a scale where 9 is nervous [3]. The same page quotes buyers who found them aggressive or frightened of people, so treat that as an average and expect some variation between birds. Calls are not laying ducks: Kentucky Extension puts them at 20 to 50 eggs a year and Metzer at 25 to 50 [2] [3]. Metzer rates mothering as good [3], and it breeds for fertility, longevity and hatchability [1].

Colours

Metzer offers Calls in black, blue, gray, pastel, penciled, snowy and white [1]. That is the list of what it sells, not a full list of recognised varieties.

What we have not pinned down yet

We have no source we trust for a Call's lifespan. Climate tolerance is only covered by Metzer's general statement that Calls, like other ducks, are hardy and adaptable [1], which is too vague to turn into a rating.

Compare with:CayugaCrestedIndian RunnerKhaki Campbell

Other breed guides: Cayuga, Crested, Indian Runner, Khaki Campbell, Muscovy, Pekin, Rouen.

Still choosing? See our roundup of the best duck breeds for a pet, and line up an avian or exotic vet before your ducks arrive.

References

  1. [1]Metzer Farms (hatchery), Call Ducks for Sale. Accessed 2026-10-20.
    A sales page with customer reviews; we cite only Metzer's own text. Gives no weights, egg numbers or lifespan.
  2. [2]University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service (Jacquie Jacob and Tony Pescatore), Selecting Ducks (ASC-198). Accessed 2026-10-20.
    Undated. Its Table 1 covers 14 breeds and omits Ancona, Silver Appleyard, Welsh Harlequin and Saxony. Table and text disagree in places (Pekin eggs 100-180 vs 'approximately 200'; Muscovy hen 6-7 lb vs 5-6 lb). Written for meat and egg selection, not pets.
  3. [3]Metzer Farms (hatchery), Compare Duck Breeds. Accessed 2026-10-20.
    A hatchery's own table. Weights are Metzer's breeders during lay. Temperament scale: 1.0 very calm to 9.0 more nervous. Pekin appears only as Grimaud Hybrid and Jumbo; Runners are listed by colour, not as one row. Egg numbers: lower figure assumes no artificial light, upper assumes 17 hours of light. Its 'conservation status' column is Metzer's own, not the Livestock Conservancy's.
  4. [4]The Livestock Conservancy, 2026 Conservation Priority Poultry Breeds (2026). Accessed 2026-10-20.
    Lists breeds at risk. A breed that is absent (Pekin, Muscovy, Call, Crested) is simply not on the list, not rated.