Baby Ducks in December?

Two days ago, we stopped by a pond full of ducks to feed them some bread. One of our favorites is this type of duck with feathers sticking up in mass on the top of his head. We call him an "Einstein duck." I thought his feathers were that way because someone had been picking on him, but a naturalist told me that there are breeds that look like this. Unfortunately, I can't remember what he called them! (Does anyone know?)

We were also surprised to see this mama duck walking her babies down the street... in the middle of December! We also saw a different mama duck 2 days after our snow a couple of weeks ago. I'm glad these mamas know how to keep their eggs and babies warm!