Black East Indies

Brian Decker's nice young drake
Photo courtesy of Brian Decker

A picture cannot express the beauty of a Black East Indies duck in the sunlight. The iridescence of its beetle green-black plumage is unequaled by any other domestic fowl (with the possible exception of the large Cayuga ducks). This bantam breed of duck is somewhat larger and racier of build than the Call Ducks. East Indies are sought after as exhibition birds. Many females develop white in their plumage as they age (as you can see in the image of "GMa" below), but they will still produce solid black offspring if mated to a good male.

An interesting characteristic of the East Indie is its egg color. Early in the season the eggs are black or dark grey; later in the laying season they gradually change to light grey or blue.