Cairina moschata

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names
English : Muscovy duck
French : Canard musqué

Classification
Class : Aves
Order : Anseriformes
Family : Anatidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach up to 54 cm in length for a weight of 4 kg. Males considerably larger than females with black and red wattles and naked skin on face. Plumage is black with white area on wings and green metallic sheen.

Range and habitat
This species from extreme south Texas to coastal Mexico, south to Colombia, then to Bolivia, north Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and south Brazil. Lives in tropical wetlands, including mangroves, marshes and lagoons.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Not Listed
Status : The species is still locally common but has declined locally in Central America because of hunting and habitat destruction.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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