Latin name: Anas platyrhynchos

Brief introduction: The Peking Duck is a member of Anatidae, a family of birds that include geese and swans. Ducks are economically important waterfowl serving as a source of meat, eggs and feathers. Though of special interest to agriculture and medicine, the duck is also a principal natural host of influenza A viruses and harbors all subtypes of 16 haemagglutinin and 9 neuraminidase subtypes currently known, except for H13 and H16 subtypes.

Related papers:
Zhang et al., Comparative Genomics Reveals Insights into Avian Genome Evolution and Adaptation. Science, (2014).
Jarvis et al., Whole Genome Analyses Resolve Early Branches in the Tree of Life of Modern Birds. Science, (2014).
Huang et al., The Duck Genome and Transcriptome Provide Insight into an Avian Influenza Virus Reservoir Species. Nature genetics, (2013).