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Understanding the difference between a breed and a species is a step in the right direction to ensuring your birds receive proper care.

 

Species

Species are created by nature and represent a profound genetic divergence of organisms evolving under the pressures of natural selection. The creation of a new species typically takes hundreds of thousands to millions of years. Within a species, there are often subspecies; these are also created by nature over long periods and are usually distinguished by regional differences.

 

Breeds

Breeds are human-created subgroups within a single species, domesticated and selectively bred for distinct traits. Domestication is a gradual process usually that usually takes hundreds of years. Developing a new breed generally takes several decades.

 

Practical Application in the aviary

All domestic duck breeds (except the Muscovy) were created from one species: Anas platyrhynchos, the Mallard. To visualize this, imagine a bucket representing the Mallard species; all domesticated ducks belong in that single bucket.

 

In contrast, a Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) sits in its own separate bucket. It evolved under different environmental factors and is a genetically distinct species from the Mallard. Similarly, a Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus) occupies its own bucket, as it is very genetically different from both the Mallard and the Mandarin.

 

Care Requirements

In an aviary setting, this means that even if you have successfully raised many domestic breeds, keeping Mandarin ducks will be a very different experience because they are a different species than the Mallard from which all domestic breeds were created. Furthermore, adding another species like the Hooded Merganser will require a different approach again, as it differs greatly from both Mallards and Mandarins.

 

In summary, all duck breeds , all being derived from the one species the mallard ,can generally accept the same standard of care.

On the other hand each separate species needs its own special considerations for captive care.