The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a species of duck native to the Americas, from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay. The species has been domesticated, and feral Muscovy ducks can be found locally in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and in Central and Eastern Europe.
Description
thumb|Male, showing underwing pattern; Transpantaneira, Poconé, Mato Grosso, Brazil
right|thumb|Male, showing upperwing pattern; Transpantaneira, Poconé, Mato Grosso, BrazilIt is a large duck, with the males significantly larger than the females. The males are long and weigh up to ; females are long and weight, roughly half the weight of the males. The wingspan is from . The plumage is predominantly black, with large white patches on the wing; the back and wing feathers being iridescent and glossy in males, while the females are more drab. Muscovy ducks have long claws on their feet and a wide, flat tail.
On the head, the male has a short crest on the nape. The bill is black with a speckling of pale pink. A blackish or dark red knob can be seen at the bill base, which is similar in colour to the bare skin of the face. The eyes are yellowish-brown. The legs and webbed feet are blackish. The female is similar in plumage, but smaller, with a feathered face and lacking the prominent knob. The juvenile is duller overall, with little or no white on the wing.
Taxonomy and systematics
The species was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 edition of Systema Naturae as Anas moschata,
The Muscovy duck was formerly placed into the paraphyletic "perching duck" assemblage, but subsequently moved to the dabbling duck subfamily Anatinae. Analysis of the mtDNA sequences of the cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 genes, however, indicates that it might be closer to the genus Aix and better placed in the subfamily Tadorninae.
The Muscovy duck is monotypic, with no subspecies; this chartered company became eventually known as the "Muscovy Company" or "Muscovite Company" so the ducks might thus have come to be called "Muscovite ducks" or "Muscovy ducks" in keeping with the common practice of attaching the importer's name to the products they sold. Ulisse Aldrovandi discusses the species in detail, referring to the wild birds and its domestic breeds variously as anas cairina, anas indica or anas libyca – "duck from Cairo", "Indian duck" (in reference to the West Indies) or "Libyan duck". But his anas indica (based, like Gessner's brief discussion, ultimately on the reports of Christopher Columbus's travels) also seems to have included another species, perhaps a whistling-duck (Dendrocygna). Already however the species is tied to some more or less nondescript "exotic" locality, "Libya" could still refer to any place in Northern Africa at that time, where it did not occur naturally. Francis Willughby discusses "The Muscovy duck" as anas moschata and expresses his belief that Aldrovandi's and Gessner's anas cairina, anas indica and anas libyca (which he calls "The Guiny duck", adding another mistaken place of origin to the list) all refer to the same species. Finally, John Ray attempts to clear up the confusion by providing an alternative explanation for the name's etymology:
<blockquote>In English, it is called The Muscovy-Duck, though this is not transferred from Muscovia [the Neo-Latin name of Muscovy], but from the rather strong musk odour it exudes. It is an aggressive duck; males often fight over food, territory or mates. The females fight with each other less often. Some adults will peck at the ducklings if they are eating at the same food source.
The Muscovy duck has benefited from nest boxes in Mexico, but it is somewhat uncommon in much of the eastern part of its range due to excessive hunting. It is not considered a globally threatened species by the IUCN, however, as it is widely distributed. The sitting hen will leave the nest once a day from 20 minutes to one and a half hours, and will then defecate, drink water, eat and sometimes bathe. Once the eggs begin to hatch, it may take 24 hours for all the chicks to break through their shells. When feral chicks are born, they typically stay with their mother for about 10–12 weeks. Their bodies cannot produce all the heat they need, especially in temperate regions, so they will stay close to the mother, especially at night.
Often, the drake will stay in close contact with the brood for several weeks. The male will walk with the young during their normal travels in search for food, providing protection. Anecdotal evidence from East Anglia, U.K. suggests that, in response to different environmental conditions, other adults assist in protecting chicks and providing warmth at night. It has been suggested that this is in response to local efforts to cull this feral population, which has led to an atypical distribution of males and females, as well as young and mature birds.
For the first few weeks of their lives, Muscovy chicks feed on grain, corn, grass, insects, and almost anything that moves. Their mother shows them at an early age how to feed.
Feral birds
thumb|right|A feral Muscovy duck in Ely, England
In feral birds with domesticated ancestry, the amount of white on the neck and head is variable, as well as the bill, which can be yellow, pink, black, or any mixture of these colours. It may have white patches or bars on the wings, which become more noticeable during flight. Both sexes have small red wattles around the bill, those of the male being larger and more brightly colored, and often considerably larger in feral birds.
Feral Muscovy ducks can breed near urban and suburban lakes and on farms, nesting in tree cavities or on the ground, under shrubs in yards, on apartment balconies, or under roof overhangs. Some feral populations, such as that in southern Florida, have a reputation of becoming pests on occasion. At night they often sleep at water, if there is a water source available, to flee quickly from predators if awakened. Small populations of Muscovy ducks can also be found in Ely, Cambridgeshire, Calstock, Cornwall, and Lincoln, Lincolnshire, U.K. Muscovy ducks have also been spotted in the Walsall Arboretum. There has been a small population in the Pavilion Gardens public park in Buxton, Derbyshire, for many years.
In the United States, Muscovy ducks are considered a non-native species, outside of Hidalgo, Starr and Zapata Counties in southernmost Texas, where they are considered indigenous. An owner may raise them for food production only (not for hunting). Similarly, if the ducks have no owner, 50CFR Part 21 (Migratory Bird Permits) allows the removal or destruction of the ducks, their eggs and their nests anywhere in the United States. The population in southern Florida is considered, with numbers in the several thousands, to be established enough to be considered "countable" for bird watchers.
Domestication
Muscovy ducks had been domesticated by various Native American cultures in the Americas when Columbus arrived in the Bahamas. A few were brought onto Columbus' ship the Santa Maria when the ship sailed back to Europe in the early 16th century.