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Cairina moschata

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Muscovy Duck

G4Apparently Secure Found in 21 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G4Apparently SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.101961
Element CodeABNJB07010
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVertebrate Animal
IUCNLeast concern
CITESAppendix III
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomAnimalia
PhylumCraniata
ClassAves
OrderAnseriformes
FamilyAnatidae
GenusCairina
Other Common Names
Canard musqué (FR) Pato-do-Mato (PT) Pato Real, Pato Criollo (ES)
Concept Reference
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
Taxonomic Comments
See Livezey (1991) for a phylogenetic analysis and classification (supergenera, subgenera, infragenera, etc.) of dabbling ducks based on comparative morphology.
Conservation Status
Rank MethodExpertise without calculation
Review Date2016-04-06
Change Date1996-11-21
Range Extent Comments
RESIDENT: lowlands from Mexico (Sinaloa and Tamaulipas) south to South America, west of Andes to western Colombia, east of Andes to eastern Peru, Bolivia, northern Argentina, and Uruguay. Generally uncomon and local. Widely domesticated. U.S. records probably pertain to escapes or individuals from attempted but unsuccessful introductions.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Forest streams, ponds, marshes, and swamps (AOU 1983). Forested watercourses: gallery forest, swamps, mangroves (Stiles and Skutch 1989). Perches readily in trees (Ridgely and Gwynne 1989). In dry season, sometimes on brackish coastal marshes and lagoons, but prefers fresh water (Madge and Burn 1988). Nests primarily in tree cavities, sometimes on ground in dense waterside vegetation (Madge and Burn 1988).

Ecology

Forms communal roosts.

Reproduction

Nests mainly in wet season. Clutch size about 8-9. Incubation 35 days in domesticated birds.
Terrestrial Habitats
Cropland/hedgerow
Palustrine Habitats
HERBACEOUS WETLANDFORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
MississippiSNANo
TexasS3Yes
Roadless Areas (21)
Arkansas (1)
AreaForestAcres
East ForkOzark-St. Francis National Forest13,037
California (5)
AreaForestAcres
CajonSan Bernardino National Forest7,548
City CreekSan Bernardino National Forest9,997
Horse Creek RidgeSan Bernardino National Forest8,969
Rouse HillSan Bernardino National Forest13,745
WildhorseCleveland National Forest1,483
Idaho (1)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekCaribou-Targhee National Forest118,582
Missouri (1)
AreaForestAcres
Irish Rare II Study AreaMark Twain National Forest1,226
Montana (1)
AreaForestAcres
Flagstaff Mountain #690Kootenai National Forest11,114
North Carolina (1)
AreaForestAcres
Balsam ConePisgah National Forest10,591
Oregon (1)
AreaForestAcres
Umpqua SpitSiuslaw National Forest2,090
Pennsylvania (1)
AreaForestAcres
Allegheny FrontAllegheny National Forest7,430
Puerto Rico (1)
AreaForestAcres
Mameyes AreaCaribbean National Forest11,150
Utah (4)
AreaForestAcres
418027Uinta National Forest13,884
Burch CreekWasatch-Cache National Forest6,938
North FrancisWasatch-Cache National Forest8,148
WellsvilleWasatch-Cache National Forest1,717
Virginia (4)
AreaForestAcres
Bear CreekJefferson National Forest18,274
Broad RunJefferson National Forest10,971
New London Bridge BranchJefferson National Forest844
Price MountainJefferson National Forest9,119
References (14)
  1. American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
  2. BirdLife International. 2004b. Threatened birds of the world 2004. CD ROM. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK.
  3. Braun, M. J., D. W. Finch, M. B. Robbins, and B. K. Schmidt. 2000. A field checklist of the birds of Guyana. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
  4. Donkin, R. A. 1989. The muscovy duck, CAIRINA MOSCHATA DOMESTICA: origins, dispersal, and associated aspecies of the geography of domestication. Balkema, Netherlands. 186 pp.
  5. Howell, S. N. G., and S. Webb. 1995. A guide to the birds of Mexico and northern Central America. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
  6. Livezey, B. C. 1991. A phylogenetic analysis and classification of recent dabbling ducks (tribe Anatini) based on comparative morphology. Auk 108:471-507.
  7. Madge, S., and H. Burn. 1988. Waterfowl: An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 298 pp.
  8. Parker III, T. A., D. F. Stotz, and J. W. Fitzpatrick. 1996. Ecological and distributional databases for neotropical birds. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
  9. Ridgely, R. S. 2002. Distribution maps of South American birds. Unpublished.
  10. Ridgely, R. S., and J. A. Gwynne, Jr. 1989. A guide to the birds of Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Second edition. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 534 pp.
  11. Sibley, D. A. 2000a. The Sibley guide to birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  12. Stiles, F. G. and A. F. Skutch. 1989. A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA. 511 pp.
  13. Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
  14. Zook, J. L. 2002. Distribution maps of the birds of Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Unpublished.