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An Aylesbury Duck is featured in a new set of stamps being issued to celebrate the diverse range of wild and domesticated ducks found in the UK.
The stamps have images of 10 duck species and breeds, including the goosander, the Indian runner, the mallard duckling, and the eider.
The Aylesbury Duck is named after the Bucks town where the breed was developed in the 18th century.
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On Aylesbury Town Council’s website it states: “Whenever Aylesbury is mentioned, people reply, ‘Oh, ducks!’.”
“In the town itself, the Aylesbury Duck has lent its name to many public houses and locations.
“It is central to the heritage of the town.
“In the early 1800s almost everybody who lived at the “Duck End” – where Mill Way now runs – bred Aylesbury Ducks.
“This pure breed is characterised by its pale pink beak, white plumage and bright yellow feet.
“The pale pink colour of the beak developed because of the grit that they were fed which is characteristic of the Aylesbury area.”
It had been developed as a breed to supply wealthy Londoners, and before the train line was built in 1839, breeders walked their ducks the 40 miles to the capital.
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Royal Mail worked with Steve Ormerod, Professor of Ecology, Water Research Institute/Cardiff School of Biosciences at Cardiff University, and waterfowl author, Dr Chris Ashton, on the stamps.
There are more than 120 species of duck worldwide, including 22 found in the UK.
David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said: “We are pleased to showcase the beauty and variety of wild and domesticated duck species found across the UK, celebrating our rich wetland wildlife.
“Most of us will recognise some of the ducks on these stamps but we hope that the set will help to raise awareness of the less well-known species.”
This is not the first time the Aylesbury Duck, thought to be the inspiration for Beatrice Potter’s Jemima Puddleduck, has been celebrated, with community festivals and art installations honouring the bird.
Mr Ormerod said: “The UK’s wild ducks are among the most elegant of all our birds. Their diversity of life histories, behaviours and calls evokes the character of habitats ranging from local ponds, lochans and lakes to rivers, wetlands and coasts.
“Ducks have also played a central role in the human history of animal domestication – for example for food, pest control or as protected ‘rare breeds’. This spectrum from cultural connection to wilderness is celebrated in this beautiful collection of Royal Mail stamps.”
The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order and go on general sale from September 11.
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