The Muscovy Duck is a large duck of Mexico, Central America, and South America, known for the bare red skin and knobby growths on its face, which are biggest on males. In the United States it is native only to the Lower Rio Grande Valley of southernmost Texas, but birds descended from released domestic ducks are a familiar sight in Florida and some other states.
Appearance
- Appearance
- Wild-type birds are glossy black with large white wing patches; males have a short crest and a dark red or blackish knob at the base of the bill. Domestic and feral birds are heavier and often have a lot of white or patchy plumage.
- Growth form
- Wild males are about 30–33 in (76–84 cm) long and weigh up to about 6.6–8.8 lb (3–4 kg); females are smaller, about 28–30 in (71–76 cm) long and about 2.8 lb (1.25 kg), roughly half the male's weight.
- Voice
- Fairly quiet. Males give a low, breathy call, and females a soft, trilling coo.
Look-alikes
Domestic duckAnas platyrhynchos domesticus
Barnyard ducks descended from the Mallard have fully feathered faces; Muscovies have bare red skin around the eyes and bill and a knob above the bill.
Why they get mixed upBoth show up as white or patchy farm and park ducks.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Ponds and lakes
- City parks
- Wooded swamps
- Rivers
- Range
- Wild birds range from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay. In the US, they count as native only in Hidalgo, Starr, and Zapata Counties, Texas; elsewhere they are non-native, with an established feral population of several thousand birds in South Florida.
- Seasonal presence
- Year-round resident; it does not migrate.
- Preferred conditions
- Wild birds live in forested swamps, lakes, and streams, and feed in nearby grassland and farm fields.
Behavior
- Diet
- Mostly plants such as water plants, grasses, and crops, plus small animals like fish, frogs, insects, and worms.
- Activity
- Unlike most ducks, it often perches and roosts in trees at night; feral birds may sleep on the water.
- Social life
- It is a feisty duck: males often fight over food, territory, and mates.
Life cycle
- Nest
- Usually in a tree hole or other hollow.
- Clutch size
- 8–15 white eggs
- Incubation
- 30–31 days
- Fledging
- Ducklings stay with their mother for about 10–12 weeks.
Name and classification
- About the name
- Wild and domestic birds are the same species. Despite the name, the bird has nothing to do with Moscow; one idea is that "Muscovy" comes from the name of the Muisca people of Colombia.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
- Status
- Under federal rules, unowned Muscovy Ducks, their eggs, and nests may be removed anywhere in the US, and releasing them outside their native range is prohibited.
Culture and stories
- Culture and stories
- Native peoples of the Americas domesticated this duck long before Columbus arrived.
- Its meat is often sold as "Barbary duck."
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