Muscovy Duck

Facts about Muscovy Ducks. Muscovy ducks are tropical birds and adapt well to cooler types of weather, flourishing in a climate as cold as 10 degree Fahrenheit (-12 cel). The Muscovy ducks are capable of surviving even colder environment.

The Muscovy Duck breed hails from Mexico and South and Central America. The Muscovy Duck are largely found in the United States of America, particularly in the lower parts of the Rio Grande Valley of South Florida and Texas, Australia, New Zealand and in Europe. Muscovy Ducks can also be seen in several other areas of North America, including the southern parts of Canada. At present, the population of the Muscovy Ducks is considered declining. In spite of an extensive distribution, the Muscovy duck breed is only locally widespread in less populated regions in the eastern area of its range due to hunting and home loss.

Muscovy duck breeds are inactive and they do not have the established immigration patterns. However, the Muscovy duck may migrate in reaction to varying water conditions. The Muscovy ducks are prevalent to the Neotropical kingdom.

Muscovy Ducks appearance

The Muscovy Duck breeds mostly have a black and white color body, with back color feathers. The feathers of the male Muscovy Ducks are iridescent and shiny, whereas the females are drabber. The head and the neck of the Muscovy Ducks have a variable amount of white color, including their bill, which is pink, yellow, black, or a combination of these colors. The Muscovy Duck have white bars or patches on their wings, which will turn more visible during flight. Both genders of Muscovy Ducks have red or pink color wattles surrounding the bill that extends from the back part of the eye to the bill.
Usually the male Muscovy Duck is more vibrantly colored than the female duck. The Muscovy Ducks have grayish-black colored legs and feet and their iris are yellowish-brown in color. Even though the Muscovy Ducks remain relatively quiet, the male duck produces a low hissing noise and the female breed has a short, feeble quack sound.

Muscovy Duck Features

The Muscovy ducks are a large-size ducks, and the male ducks appear with a maximum body length of 30 inches (76.2 cm), with a maximum body mass of 15 pounds (6.8 kg). Usually, Female and male ducks are similar in look, but female Muscovy Ducks are smaller and lighter than the male ducks, with a maximum body mass of 7 pounds (3.1 kg), approximately half of the size of the male breeds.

Diet of Muscovy Duck

Muscovy duck breeds feed on the roots, leaves, stems and seeds of terrestrial and aquatic plants, as well as agricultural crops. The Muscovy duck also feed on small fish, crustaceans, reptiles, insects, termites and millipedes.

A Muscovy Duck is a Precocial (meaning) Born or hatched with the eyes open, a covering of hair or down, capable of a high degree of independent activity from birth and able to leave the nest just a few hours after hatching.
A male adult Muscovy Duck is called a (drake) and a adult female Muscovy Duck is called a (hen). A young baby Muscovy Duck is called a (duckling). A group of ducks is called a brace, raft, team, flock, or paddling. The female (hen) are usually a plain colored for hiding purposes to be camouflaged from their enemies when they are sitting in their nests.

Breeding of Muscovy Duck

The Muscovy duck prefer marshlands close to forested areas and they nest in nest boxes or tree cavities, laying a maximum amount of eight eggs.

Water-proof feathers of Muscovy Duck

A special feature that the Muscovy Duck has is its water-proof feathers, even when the Muscovy Duck dives underwater, its downy under-layer of feathers will stay totally 100% dry. The Muscovy Duck is a special gland called the "Preen Gland" also called Oil Gland or Uropygial, that produces oil that is near the duck's tail which covers and spreads the outer coat of the Muscovy Ducks feathers, which makes the duck water-proof.

Muscovy Ducks are related to geese and swans and the duck is the smallest of these birds with shorter wings and neck and a stocky body. Muscovy Ducks on average, live 4 to 8 years and can live up to 12 years, depending on the breed. Muscovy Ducks are omnivores; meaning - an animal that eats food of both animal and plant and origin.

Scientific name for Muscovy Duck "Anas Platyrhynchos" meaning - Wild dabbling duck from which domestic ducks are descended; widely distributed. From New Latin "anas" meaning (Duck) and the word Platyrhynchos comes from "platyrrhine", Ancient Greek meaning (broad snouted, flat-bridged nose). The definition of Anatidaephobia is irrational fear that you are being watched by a duck.
Ducks are birds in the Class of "Aves". Ducks of all types are part of the bird family "Anatidae". Ducks are also called "waterfowls" they are generally found in places were there is water, such as ponds, rivers, streams, lakes and occasionally your back yard pool.

Features about the Muscovy Ducks bill

A "bill" is what is call a Muscovy Ducks mouth. There are no teeth in the Muscovy Ducks bill, they have rows of thin bristles, which helps them to filter pieces of nutrition out of the water. Muscovy Ducks swallow there food whole and it goes to an organ called a gizzard, were the food is first ground up and than moves on to the stomach. The different bill shapes and sizes for finding food, has over time mutated to fit each environment. The bill is flat and broad and has rows of fine incision along the outer edge called "lamellae". meaning a thin membrane, plate, scale or layer, as of cell wall or bone tissue. The larnellae helps the Muscovy Duck to clutch food for feeding.

Underneath the water-proof coat are downy soft fluffy feathers which keep the Muscovy Ducks body warm. Muscovy Ducks keep clean by being able to turn their heads completely backwards, and put their beaks into their feathers by preening themselves.

In the wild The male Muscovy Duck will guard their nest by chasing away other ducks. Once the female Muscovy Duck lays 5 to 8 eggs, she will start to sit on her eggs to keep them warm so that they can hatch into baby ducklings. The eggs will hatch on average within 26 to 28 days. Baby Muscovy ducklings are able to fly within 5 to 8 weeks.
When being raised in captivity the Muscovy Ducks will lay more eggs, when there is more daylight, that's why farmers will keep the lights on in the ducks house for longer periods of time.
Muscovy Ducks see in color with very good vision and can see well underwater. Muscovy Ducks have three eyelids the third eyelid called nictitating membrane. They have a top and bottom as well as a third eyelid that is found on the side of the eye. The Muscovy Ducks eyelid blinking acts as a windshield wiper to clear the eye. This helps to see when diving under water can also help the eye from drying out while flying. This is an act of constantly cleaning and keeping the eye moist.
Muscovy Ducks fly in a “V” shape to makes flying easier.

Features about Muscovy Duck eggs

A Muscovy Duck egg has twice the nutritional value than a chicken egg and will stay fresh longer because of their thicker shell.
Muscovy Duck eggs are richer with more Albumen "the white of an egg" making pastries and cakes richer and fluffier. A Muscovy Duck Egg has more Omega 3 fatty acids than a chicken egg. Omega 3 is thought to improve skin health, memory and Brain health. Muscovy Duck Eggs are an Alkaline producing food and a Chicken egg is an acid food and leaves your body more acid. Muscovy Duck eggs are high in Cholesterol. Muscovy Duck eggs have 6 times the Vitamin D and 2 times the Vitamin A than a chicken egg. Duck eggs have 2 times the cholesterol than a chicken egg.

Features about Muscovy Ducks feet

Muscovy Ducks have webbed feet, that makes them act like paddles, designed for swimming. The Muscovy Duck push their webbed paddle feet back in a kicking motion, this allows them to move swift through the water and when the feet come back, the Muscovy Duck will close for less water resistance. The Muscovy Ducks paddle feet do not feel cold, even when it swims in cold icy water. The webbed feet makes a Muscovy Duck waddle instead of walk. The Muscovy Ducks feet have capillaries which help blood flow to their feet. The warm blood flow down the leg and creates a heat exchange system. When the blood flows down the leg, it meets the cold blood and is warmed up to keep the Muscovy Ducks feet warm. Muscovy Ducks feet are thin because they contain soft tissue and few muscles.