Muscovy duck
- Also called:
- Barbary duck or Pato real
How far does the Muscovy duck’s native range extend?
How do wild and domesticated Muscovy ducks differ in appearance?
What do Muscovy ducks eat?
Muscovy duck, (Cairina moschata), species of large perching duck belonging to the family Anatidae of the order Anseriformes. Male Muscovy ducks are the largest ducks in the world. Unlike other duck species the Muscovy duck does not descend from the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos). It is native to the wooded freshwater habitats of Central and South America, and its geographic range extends from the border between the United States and Mexico south to northern Argentina and northern Uruguay. Small, introduced, feral populations also occur away from humid tropical environments, such as in Israel and England. In addition, larger introduced populations have been established in the United States, most notably in Florida, where they are considered an invasive species. Domesticated Muscovy ducks are often called “Barbary ducks” in culinary circles; some classifications place this group in the subspecies C. moschata domestica, but this designation is not universally accepted.
Muscovy duck domestication originated with the Indigenous peoples of Paraguay and Peru in South America long before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the early 1500s. The bird’s common name, “Muscovy,” may refer to the London-based Muscovy Company, which was formed in 1555 and shipped the ducks to England and France. Domesticated Muscovy ducks are raised as a source of lean protein. The meat is tender, deep red, and low in fat, with a roast beef-like flavor.
Natural history
Appearance
Wild Muscovy ducks are large, stout birds with long, goose-like necks and long bills that slope up to their foreheads. They have long tail feathers and long, strong claws on their webbed feet. Red fleshy growths called caruncles on the duck’s face make the Muscovy stand out from other ducks. They are larger than mallard ducks and smaller than Canada geese. Most of the ducks are 66–84 cm (26–33 inches) long and weigh 2–4 kg (4–9 pounds), with a wingspan of 137–152 cm (4–5 feet). Males are often 30–50 percent larger than females, with some growing up to 86 cm (34 inches) and weighing more than 7 kg (15 pounds). See also sexual dimorphism.
Wild Muscovy ducks differ greatly in appearance from their domesticated relatives. The wild ducks are glossy black, and both adult males and adult females have white wing patches, although the male’s patches are larger. The plumage on the wings and backs of both males and females is an iridescent green or purple-blue. Only males have red facial caruncles in wild populations. In contrast, domesticated Muscovy ducks are often larger, heavier, and less agile. Domesticated Muscovy ducks have a varied coloration; they tend to have more white feathers as well as pied, brown, lilac, or buff feathers. Both domesticated males and females have red caruncles on their faces, but males tend to have more.
Habits
Wild Muscovy ducks inhabit inland lowland and coastal areas that include wetlands, mangrove swamps, and areas adjacent to rivers, streams, and creeks. Muscovy ducks are omnivores that largely feed by dabbling in the water as they swim, but they will also graze on grassy land. Their diet is made up of an array of aquatic and terrestrial plant material (including grasses, sedges, mangrove and water lily seeds, and tubers). They also consume a diversity of animals, from worms and insects to crustaceans and mollusks to small reptiles and fish. Their bills are strong enough to break open termite mounds and feast on the insects inside. In agricultural areas Muscovy ducks can switch to corn and other grains. They tend to feed in the morning, perch in trees in the afternoon, and roost at night in groups high in trees in nest cavities or nest boxes, although many wild Muscovy ducks also sleep in water to avoid predators (such as foxes, domestic dogs, raccoons, reptiles, and birds of prey).
Despite their large size, they are capable of flight. They are, however, nonmigratory, but they may move to new habitats if food is scarce. Unlike other ducks Muscovy ducks are relatively quiet birds that largely rely on hissing, grunting, whistling, and chattering, along with visual cues to communicate with each other, and they do not quack unless they feel threatened. During courtship displays males hiss and puff, while females vocalize using a high-pitched, flute-like sound called a pip.
Reproduction
The sexes do not form pairs; wild Muscovy males engage in lek mating behavior, in which they compete for breeding females using courtship displays, and they stake out and defend their territory from other drakes. When hens enter a male’s territory, the male performs displays that include hissing, showing off its crest, swaying its tail feathers, pumping its head, and raising its wings. Besides mating with female Muscovy ducks, males sometimes mate with hens of other duck species, which results in sterile hybrid offspring. Some sources report pair bonding in certain groups of domestic Muscovy ducks.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Class: Aves
- Order: Anseriformes
- Family: Anatidae
- Genus: Cairina
Species of Least Concern
Muscovy ducks are polygynous, with dominant breeding males mating with more than one female during a breeding season. Breeding usually takes place from early August to early May in wooded habitats, with females constructing a nest of twigs in a hollow tree or sometimes on the ground near water. A female may use the same nesting site its entire life, producing as many as three clutches of 8–15 large white eggs per year. The eggs hatch after about 35 days of incubation. Parental care falls to the mother exclusively; the hen defends the nest and raises the young for the next 60–70 days, after which they fledge. Both male and female fledglings reach sexual maturity by about 29 weeks of age. Although both wild and domesticated Muscovy ducks generally live 7–8 years, there are reports of some domesticated Muscovy ducks living as long as 20 years.
Conservation status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has classified the Muscovy duck as a species of least concern since 2004 because the geographic range of both wild and domesticated populations remains large. Some Muscovy duck populations in parts of their native range are vulnerable to hunting, egg-collecting, and habitat loss from timber harvesting. Although IUCN officials report that the duck’s population is decreasing globally, they note that the rate of decline is not rapid enough to warrant reclassifying the Muscovy duck as a vulnerable species.