The crest
The Crested duck is named for the ball of feathers on top of its head, and it is a defined breed, not just a white duck that happens to have a tuft [3]. Metzer says the breed was present as early as 1660, was admitted to the American registry in 1874, before the British registry (by 1910); it also says popularity dropped and then climbed again in the 1980s [2]. Its table lists the origin as Holland [1]. For showing, Metzer says the ideal crest is large and centred on the head, and not split into two lobes [2].
Why you may not get a crest
The crest is the unusual part, genetically as well as visually. Kentucky Extension explains that the gene responsible for the crest is lethal when two copies are present, so a quarter of the fertile eggs from two crested parents will not hatch, and only two-thirds of the rest will have crests [3]. Metzer repeats that figure as coming from "several books", and says it does not see it in its own flocks: it reports that over 90 percent of its White Crested ducklings have good-sized crests, and it does not sell a duckling without one [2]. So the real-world rate depends on the breeder. If you want a crest, buy from someone who tells you how many of their hatches come out crested.
Colours: white, black or something else?
The Crested we can document is the White Crested. Metzer says the only crested breeders it keeps are White, though a crested Blue Swedish, Rouen or Buff duckling occasionally hatches [2]. That last point shows the crest is a trait that can turn up in other breeds, not a colour. We found no source that describes a black Crested, so if a seller advertises one, ask what the parents were and treat the claim as unconfirmed.
Size and eggs
Crested ducks sit in the medium class [1]. Kentucky Extension gives hens at 5 to 6 pounds and drakes at 6 to 7 [3]. Metzer's breeders, weighed during lay, run 6 to 7¼ pounds across both sexes [1]. Egg numbers are modest and the sources differ: 60 to 100 a year in Kentucky Extension's table [3], 100 to 130 for Metzer's breeders, with the top figure assuming artificial light [1]. Kentucky Extension says they lay well for a breed mostly kept for show [3].
Temperament
Metzer's staff scored White Crested ducks 9.0 on a 1-to-9 scale where 9 is the most nervous [1], the top of that scale. That is one hatchery's handling of its own birds, not a promise about every duck, but it suggests a jumpy duck, so plan on quiet, patient handling. Metzer lists them as unable to fly and rates mothering as poor to fair, so do not count on a hen to raise her own ducklings [1]. Foraging is rated only fair [1].
What we have not pinned down yet
We have no source we trust on whether the crest brings health problems for the duck itself. Customer comments on Metzer's page mention neurological issues said to go with the breed, but that is hearsay and not evidence, so we have not used it. If you are considering one, ask the breeder directly and have an avian vet check the duck. We also have no sourced figure for noise, lifespan or heat and cold tolerance, so those rows are blank. The breed is not on the Livestock Conservancy's 2026 priority list [4].