What are crested ducks – and should backyard duck keepers get them?

Last Updated on February 1, 2025 by Susan von Frank

What is a crested duck? 

Crested ducks are domesticated, Mallard-derived ducks featuring a puff of feathers (called a “crest”) on top of their heads. Individual ducks from any breed can exhibit the crested trait.   

However, selective breeding for the crested trait has resulted in distinct breeds, such as:

• White Crested and Black Crested here in the US,
• Fengtou aka Chinese Crested in China, 
• Hochbrutflugenten in Germany.

Crested ducks have a comical appearance, which makes them appealing to backyard duck keepers. 

What causes the crest on crested ducks? 

The puff of feathers on a crested duck’s head is caused by a *genetic mutation resulting in a hole in their skull. The external poof of feathers grows out of a section of fatty tissue which covers this hole. The size of the hole and crest can both vary greatly between individuals expressing the trait.      

(*A 2023 study found that a mutation in the TAS2R40 gene is primarily responsible for crest formation in ducks. Interestingly, this is the same gene that allows humans to taste bitter flavors.)  

How old are crested ducks? 

Crested ducks aren’t simply the result of modern breeding. For instance, crested ducks were bred in Asia during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 CE) and Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Are crested ducks more prone to health problems? 

It seems self-evident that having a skull hole wherein fatty tissue and bone can intrude into the cranial cavity would make crested ducks more prone to chronic health problems, not to mention risks of acute injury that might occur while fighting or mating. (Ducks use their bills to grab each other on the head and neck while mating.) Not surprisingly, researchers have indeed found horror story health problems in some crested ducks directly resulting from this trait.

However, other research literature muddies the water (or duck pond) on this issue…

For instance, a 2023 paper published in the journal Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics summarized: 

“Previous studies of Hochbrutflugenten (HBTcr) ducks, which are crested duck breeds in Germany, have shown that crested ducks have high prenatal and postnatal mortalities, exhibiting motor incoordination in the wild due to incomplete skull closure [9–11]. Although the phenotype composition of the crest cushion and the fertilization rate in HBTcr and CC [Chinese Crested] ducks were similar, the survival rate of CC ducks was significantly higher (more than 95%) after birth, and they showed good motor coordination. Therefore, the formation mechanism of the crest cushion and the genomic compensation for the effect of the crest cushion on the CC duck have gathered considerable interests in CC duck research.” 

Interestingly, the same paper also notes that, due to “genetic compensation,” Chinese Crested (CC) ducks might actually have a better overall immune response, healing capacity, and cancer resistance relative to non-crested domestic ducks:  

“Comparative genomics revealed that genes related to tissue repair, immune function, and tumors were under strong positive selection, indicating that these adaptive changes might enhance cancer resistance and immune response to maintain the genetic stability of CC ducks.”

So it appears that the precise health/risk profile of a crested duck will vary depending on the exact type/breed of crested duck in question. 

Additionally, Metzer Farms, the largest duck breeder in the US, states on their White Crested breed page:

“According to several books, 25% of fertile eggs produced from Crested parents will die prematurely and 33% are supposed to hatch without crests. We do not seem to find this [emphasis ours].” 

Metzer Farms does not say exactly what they do find.

In Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks (Page 72), famed duck breeder Dave Holderread states that crested ducks are:

 “…susceptible to neurological abnormalities (which may be apparent at hatching time or not until months later) and to skeletal deformities (kinked necks, shortened bodies, roached backs, wry tails). Fortunately, the majority of Crested ducks are normal and have a life expectancy similar to that of other breeds.” 

Our main takeaway from these varying accounts is this: given the genetic variability and compensatory mechanisms at play, it’s difficult to make sweeping generalizations about the health profiles of all crested ducks compared to non-crested ducks.  

Should backyard duck keepers AVOID getting crested ducks? 

Our take: Backyard duck keepers would be wise to avoid getting crested ducks. Why would we make this statement given that the previous section in this article indicates some crested ducks *may* be perfectly healthy and even have improved resistance to cancer and other health conditions? 

Simply put: the potential risks outweigh any potential upside. Here’s why:

1. You don’t know the genetic profile of the crested duck(s) you’re getting, and a breeder isn’t likely to keep (much less share) long-term quantitative health data/records on their breeding stock.      
2. If odds are high that you’re going to end up with ducks that have numerous severe health conditions, why take the risk? Doing so will create animal suffering, lead to large vet bills, and incentivize breeders to continue making more crested ducks. 
3. Unfortunately, many people who get ducks will end up abandoning them at nearby ponds. The small percentage of those abandoned crested ducks that live long enough to breed, may do so with wild mallards, thus creating “genetic pollution.” The crested trait might express 0.0001% of the time in wild mallard populations. However, when paired with a crested domestic duck, those odds are going to drastically increase, creating a cascade of problems for generations to come.

Are crested ducks cute? Absolutely. Should you get them? Probably not.

Feedback from other duck keepers

We’ve known about the potential health issues with crested ducks since we first started raising ducks over a decade ago, so we’ve always avoided getting them. However, some of our duck friends on social media haven’t been so fortunate, as we found out when we publicly asked people to share their experiences raising crested ducks. 

For instance, our friend Melanie at Ducks of Providence has a White Crested duck (Emma) who had seizures when she was a duckling. Ducks of Providence also has an excellent article on their website, Crested Ducks: Ducks with a genetic defect, detailing the risks of raising crested ducks, which includes their personal experiences.

Many other duck keeping friends also chimed in to report a wide range of problems with their crested ducks, including:

• blindness,
• premature death,
• poor balance,
• various other neurological issues.

Conversely, one person said she has a six year old crested female who has never had health problems.  

Obviously, these are anecdotal accounts, not statistics. However, when taken into consideration alongside information from experienced duck breeders and published studies, we think these accounts help reinforce our prior advice: don’t get crested ducks!   

Other crested duck FAQs 

How common is the crested trait in Mallard-derived breeds? 

According to Storey’s Guide to Raising Ducks (Page 71), “a duckling with a crest will hatch out of every 100,000 to 1,00,000 eggs hatched.” In other words, it’s very rare! 

Can Muscovy ducks be crested? 

Muscovy ducks can not be crested.

Muscovy ducks are another duck species that has also been domesticated. Yes, they can raise the feathers on their head to exhibit dominance or alertness, and this is sometimes referred to as a “crest.” However, it’s not the same phenomenon as the crest described in this article which pertains to Mallard-derived duck breeds. 

Name confusion: are there tufted ducks and crested ducks in the wild?

Somewhat confusingly, there are wild duck species with the name crested duck (Lophonetta specularioides) and tufted duck (Aythya fuligula). These species have distinct head feather morphologies, which is where their common names come from. However, these morphologies are the norm within the species, not the result of rare genetic deformities.  

We hope this information was helpful for you! If you have crested ducks and would like to share your experiences, please drop a comment below! 

Flap on over to these other helpful duck articles:

• How to pick the best duck breed(s) for you
• The case for getting rescue ducks
• Beginner’s guide to raising ducks: 17 things you should know
• Ducks vs chickens: a 12-point comparison 
• 17 tips to keep your ducks safe from predators