Muscovy Ducks

Muscovy Ducks are unique waterfowl that aren't very closely related to most other ducks. In fact some people insist that they are genetically so different from other ducks that they shouldn't be considered ducks at all!

Although the Muscovy duck is a tropical bird whose ancient native land is near the equator,it also adapts to icy and snowy conditions. There are breeding populations in nearly every U.S. state and in the Canadian provinces. There are also feral populations in Europe where they are considered to be a pest.

In North America feral flocks descended from farm escapees have been established for well over 100 years.

There is a truly wild population of Muscovy Ducks that live on the Rio Grande and it is believed that some members of these flocks have crept northward and bred with ducks that escaped from farms long ago.

Muscovies In Captivity

Muscovy ducks have been raised domestically for hundreds of years. Spanish explorers described large black ducks being raised by South American Indian tribes in the early 16th century.

Domestic Muscovies are bred to have many feathers of many colors including buff and lavendar. Wild Muscovy ducks are mostly black or dark green.

Muscovy ducks are the only domestic duck that isn't descended from mallards. Domestic Muscovies aren't genetically distinct from their wild relatives.

Even though some feral populations have been established for over 100 years, Muscovy ducks are still considered livestock.

These pictures were taken by my husband and me in February 2009. The drakes come and hang out in the woods by our house almost everyday in the winter but the hens rarely come around so a visit from them is a special treat. The pictures from my little camera are not very sharp but I hope you can enjoy them anyway.

This pic is a little fuzzy but you can see the beautiful green wing feathers of this young drake and hen.

This little stream was almost overflowing after 6 inches of rain had fallen. The ducks seemed to be enjoying some type of plant roots or algae.

We had never seen this pretty young hen before and she hasn't come back to visit since.

This drake is about 3 years old. The raised red growths on his head and neck are called caruncles. He is definitely the dominant male in the flock and very popular with the girls.

Muscovy ducks are at home in the tropical climate of South Florida. Although there have been Muscovy populations in Florida for over 100 years they have been declared a non native species.To put this into a little perspective,there are federally protected herons and egrets that have only inhabited Florida for 50 years or less. Many residents consider them pests because they populate the lakes and ponds of resort developments.

Muscovy ducks have become accustomed to living with humans and will beg for food and even sleep and nest in people's yards. They are friendly ducks but their persistent begging and the hissing sounds they make are sometimes mistaken for aggression. Some claim that their excrement spreads disease. This has not been proven to be true.

Muscovy Ducks Do Not Breed With Other Types Of Ducks Or Steal Their Food Or Habitat
Many Floridians mistakenly believe Muscovies breed with other ducks and endanger their habitats. This is not true. Sometimes Muscovies in captivity are artificially bred with mallards and other domestic ducks. These ducks are called mullards or mule ducks because they are sterile. Mule ducks are bred for the meat industry. It is highly unlikely that Muscovy ducks would ever breed with other types of ducks in the wild.

These myths about Muscovy ducks have been used by many as an excuse to try to exterminate them. In Florida and other areas Muscovies have been beaten, shot,intentionally run over by cars and poisoned among other atrocities.

The facts about these wonderful ducks do not support treating them as a pest species. They can actually be beneficial because they eat mosquito larvae,cockroaches,and venomous spiders. Some communities that have eliminated Muscovy ducks have found that their mosquito problems have been made much worse.

I don't know about you but I would much rather hose a little poop off my driveway than be plagued by disease causing mosquitoes. Malaria,encephalitis and West Nile disease are not pretty and I would prefer to avoid them by letting the natural mosquito predators do their job.