Muscovy Duck  (Cairina moschata)

• Along with the Mallard, the wild ancestor of domestic ducks- probably domesticated in pre-Inca Peru.
• Wild ducks are sleek and attractive, but domestic drakes can be grotesque, weighing as much as 11 pounds.

                                                    Muscovy Duck

                                                   Cairina moschata

Habitat: The Muscovy Duck has stable populations in Nicaragua and parts of Guatemala and Costa Rica.  While these birds are not threatened overall, the ducks have declined in numbers since the 1960's and have disappeared altogether in some regions. 

Miscellaneous: The name Muscovy could have come from the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua or they could have been named after "Moscovie Ducks" which means foreign ducks when they were brought to Europe.  They are not very vocal however, they make soft blowing hisses of angry drakes that can become loud and explosive.