Muscovy Ducks

The Muscovy duck, which is distinguished by its strange face, is considered one of the oldest types of domestic birds in the world, Despite its name, it is not classified as a type of duck, as it resembles ducks in its shape, but it makes sounds similar to the sound of geese, and it has a chest similar to that of a turkey, and it crouches Like chickens, they incubate their eggs for 35 days instead of 28 days as ducks do

Habitat of muscovy ducks

Mexico and Central and South America are the original home of Muscovy ducks, but it can be found in most parts of the United States, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Europe, and Muscovy ducks prefer to live in places with dense vegetation in which they can hide, as well as wetlands and river banks.

Morphological characteristics of muscovy ducks

Among the most important morphological characteristics of muscovy ducks are the following:

the size

Muscovy ducks are distinguished by their broad and long body, and their heavy weight, as the male weighs 6.8 kg, while the female’s weight reaches 3 kg, which is nearly half of the male’s weight. Therefore, they are able to fly easily, but the male needs to make a lot of effort to fly.

the color

Feathers are often white or black, although this does not preclude the existence of blue, green, bronze, chocolate, or mottled white Muscovy ducks.

the face

Muscovy ducks have a unique head, with a blackish-red face, and a flat beak that is black, yellow, pink, or a mixture of these colors, and may contain pink spots, and its yellow or brown eyes contain a transparent eyelid (Rough membrane) allows it to see underwater.

adenoids;

The adenoids that hang from the throat of the male are larger and more colorful than the adenoids of the female.

legs

Muscovy ducks have black legs and black webbed or webbed feet with long claws that enable them to perch on trees.

Behavioral characteristics of muscovy ducks

Muscovy ducks are characterized by a set of behavioral characteristics, including the following:

It is considered a omnivorous animal. That is, that feed on animals and plants at the same time.
Its diet consists of leaves, roots and shoots of plants as well as crustaceans, fish, insects such as mosquitoes and flies, and some small reptiles.
The male flirts with his female by shaking the tail, and raising the crest feathers to the top, knowing that the male duck mates with more than one female.
It is quiet, it makes low sounds to communicate with members of its group, and expresses happiness, excitement, or annoyance with a lot of tail wagging.