Duck (domestic duck, duck) - duck (English spelling)

Japanese: アヒル(家鴨∥鶩) - アヒル（英語表記）duck

Mallards are domesticated ducks of the Anatidae family that have been domesticated in various parts of the Northern Hemisphere. They are most ancient in China, and were domesticated in Europe around the time of Christ. The ancestor of the mallard, a migratory bird, migrates to Siberia in the summer to breed, and is monogamous, staying in nests to keep eggs warm, but ducks have lost the ability to fly, are polygamous, and have lost the ability to breed. There are meat and egg breeds. Well-known meat breeds include the Pekin (native to China, white, weighing 3.6-4.1 kg; Pekin duck) (illustration), the Rouen (native to France, plumage the same as that of the mallard, males have a blue-green head and neck, females are entirely brown, weighing 4.1-4.5 kg), the Blue-necked (native to Japan, plumage the same as that of the mallard, weighing 3.4-3.7 kg), and the Aylesbury (native to the UK, white, weighing 4.1-4.5 kg).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

ガンカモ科のマガモを北半球の各地で飼いならした家禽で，中国が最も古く，ヨーロッパでも紀元前後に馴化（じゆんか）されている。祖先種のマガモは候鳥(渡り鳥)で夏はシベリアに渡って繁殖し，一夫一婦性で巣について卵をあたためるが，アヒルは飛翔（ひしよう）力を失い複婚性で就巣性もなくしている。肉用種と卵用種がある。肉用種としてはペキン種Pekin(中国原産，白色，体重3.6～4.1kg。ペキンダック)（イラスト），ルーアン種Rouen(フランス原産，羽色はマガモと同じで雄は頭頸部が青緑色，雌は全身褐色，体重4.1～4.5kg)，アオクビ(青首)種(日本在来種，羽色はマガモと同じ，体重3.4～3.7kg)，エールズベリー種Aylesbury(イギリス原産，白色，体重4.1～4.5kg)が有名である。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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