Muscovy Duck

Description:

The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck predominantly black and white, with the back feathers being iridescent and glossy in males, while the females are more drab. It took a really long time deciding to get into the water. I must have watched it for 10 minutes before it took the plunge!

Habitat:

A creek running around the edge of Mullumbimby

Notes:

The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck native to Mexico, Central, and South America. Small wild and feral breeding populations have established themselves in other parts of the world, including Australia. It could of course be an escaped domestic duck! They are a large duck, with the males about 76 cm or 30 inches long, and weighing up to 7 kg or 15 pounds. Females are considerably smaller, and only grow to 3 kg or 7 pounds, roughly half the males' size.