Muscovy Ducks
aka Scobies
Cairina moschata
My very first Muscovy, "Donald The Duck," a Blue drake.
Donald truly knew his name and came when called.
Muscovies are the only domestic ducks that are not derived from Mallard stock. They are a South American species. The original (wild type) coloration is black and white, but domestication has produced many more colors, including white, black, chocolate, and blue. The males are large, weighing up to twelve pounds, with the smaller females reaching only seven (I have heard of one Australian strain bred for market, in which a dressed male reached nearly 20 lb and took two people to restrain). Their feet have strong sharp claws and are built to grasp, so that they can perch on branches. Some people consider them ugly because of the large red warty caruncles above the beak and around the eyes. They are, however, very personable and interesting birds, and quite intelligent. Unlike most domestic waterfowl, Muscovies will often fly up and roost. They fly fairly well, especially the smaller females, but are known more for flying around than flying away!
The meat of the Muscovy is unlike that of the other domestic ducks. It is not greasy and is much more like veal than like poultry. In Taiwan and Europe they often use the Mule Duck, a hybrid of the Muscovy with Mallard-derivatives, as a meat bird.
By the age of three months or so, the males are nearly twice as large as the females. I've found that in younger Muscovies, the feet of the males are often relatively larger, but I don't know if you can count on this.
Breed clubs:
International Heavy Duck Breeders Association
Kyle Yacobucci
306 Dillenback Rd.
Palatine Bridge, NY 13428
518-673-5668
e-mail: kyleyac@yahoo.com
Muscovy Links:
Northwest Wildfowl has a page on Wild Muscovies
Another page on Muscovies
Pinnacle Farm's White Muscovy Ducks
Here are the Muscovies at The Easy Chicken
The Domestic Waterfowl Club on Muscovies
Poultry for small farmers: Muscovy Ducks
Muscovies at e-chickens
See the Muscovies at Cottage Rose Birds n' Blossoms
Muscovies at Dunroven Farms
Laughingstock Farm has Muscovies
Muscovies at One Sky Ranch
Muscovies at Saynora Farms
Duckopolis has Muscovies
Ankparadiset -- A Swedish page on Muscovies (in Swedish)
Muscovies at Rare Feathers Farm
Self-blue Muscovies at Texas Peafowl Farm
Muscovy Books & Articles:
Hoffman, Edmund. 1992. A Natural History of the South American Pato, Cairina moschata, the Wild Muscovy Duck. 9th International Symposium on Waterfowl, Pisa, Sept. 16-18, 1992. Hard to find. I have a library call number for it that may help: QL696.A52H64.
A pen of Wild Muscovies: This is what the native South American birds look like
A closer shot of a Wild Muscovy hen
Photo courtesy of Dirk Fussbahn
A pair of Wild Muscovies, female on the left
Photos courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
Wild Muscovies: two and four-year-old males and a four-year-old female
Photos courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
Head shot of a two-year-old wild Muscovy drake
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
Two shots of a pair of wild Muscovies
Photos courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
Wild Muscovy family
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
Wild Muscovy hen with ducklings
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
![[Photo of a Muscovy duck]](Huey.JPEG)
"Donald's" son "Huey"
for stefan
"DoubleDuck," Huey's successor, not just another pretty
face
Photo ©Frank Quinn
Although Scobies can be quite pretty, too!
Photo © Jerry Jividen --
plaNET eARTh
"Catcher," DoubleDuck's son
He got his name 'cause when you toss him bread he'll pick it
right out of the air (that's a piece of bread in the upper right)
Photo courtesy of Virginia Martin
"Portabello," my most recent breeding Blue drake
Photo courtesy of Stefan
"Oyster" is the best Blue I've bred
Photo courtesy of Ginger Carson
A drake with his crest raised
Photo courtesy of Ann Marshall
A Bronze Scobie drake from Sweden
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
The head of a show-quality Black Muscovy male
I find this to be extreme! The birds can hardly see. The faces on the
Blues and Chocolates have not been so overdeveloped and are much more natural
and balanced for the bird, in my (not very) humble opinion.
Jim Bunting's Black Muscovy drake (with a much more
reasonable head)
Photo courtesy of Brian Decker
Chocolates from Sweden: A male and two females
Photos courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
A Bronze Muscovy drake from Australia
Photo courtesy of Jason Quor
Here's a pair of Chocolate Ripple Muscovies on the left; on the right are
Chocolate Ripple and Dark Ripple ducks
Photos © Cathy Dreiling
"Freeway," Tommy's drake who was found abandoned along a highway.
Photo courtesy of Tommy Green
Blue Silver and Blue Muscovy hens from Sweden
Photos courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
And a nice Black drake from the UK
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson
Something new? -- A Laced Muscovy!
Photos courtesy of Ila Anderson
Young Barred Scobies from Sweden: female on left
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
A Chocolate Magpie Muscovy hen from the UK
Photo courtesy of Jed Dwight
A Blue Muscovy male
A pair of Chocolate Muscovies
A Smoky Muscovy hen and a young Silver drake, both from Sweden
Photos courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
Immature male Barred Muscovies
Photo courtesy of Glenna Hendrix
A Best of Breed Muscovy drake from the UK, and his head
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson
Juvenile Chocolate Scobies from Sweden
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
Barred Muscovy teenagers
Photo courtesy of Glenna Hendrix
Lavender and Silver Muscovies (tho' they sure don't look different to my "un-expert" eyes)
Photos courtesy of Heather Spaet
Three new varieties from Poland -- a Coffee duck, a Turtle Dove young drake and a Light Chocolate drake (in Light Chocolate the drakes are paler than the hens)
Photos courtesy of Krzysztof Andres & Piotr Sawarzyński
A Turtle Dove Muscovy hen
Photo courtesy of Ian Morrison
Barred Chocolate WhiteHead and Chocolate Pied Muscovy hens
Left photo courtesy of Frances Bassom; right photo courtesy of Laura Phillips
A Mammoth White Muscovy drake from Australia
Photo courtesy of Jason Quor
More from Sweden: Black drake and Sepia duck
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
A pair of Sepia Muscovies -- note that Sepias get darker with age
Photos courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
A Self Blue duck and Cream drake
Photo © Cathy Dreiling
From Sweden comes a pair of Smoke Muscovies
Photos courtesy of Klas Hoglund
A Muscovy Duck with her brood
Photo courtesy of Robert Hockey
Young Chocolate and Sepias from Sweden
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
Here's a young female Chocolate Muscovy
Photo courtesy of Jason Halonen
"Daphne" with a brood of somewhat older
ducklings
Jaclamar's White Muscovies, male on left
This is "Louis," a white Muscovy drake from Belgium
Photo courtesy of Baudewyn Meersseman
A Blue Fawn Muscovy
Photo courtesy of Heather Spaet
Silver Muscovies from Sweden
Photos courtesy of Klas Hoglund
Another very nice white Muscovy drake from Belgium
Photo courtesy of Baudewyn Meersseman
Young Muscovy hens on a fence
A Black Muscovy drake
Blue Muscovies, drake on the left
Photos courtesy of Pam Marshall
Pied Muscovies from the UK, drake on the left
Photos courtesy of Rupert Stephenson
A Silver Muscovy drake drake
Photo © Cathy Dreiling
A Ripple Muscovy drake
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson
This is a Bronze Muscovy drake
Photo courtesy of Stuart Chalmers
Another Sepia Muscovy pair from Sweden
Photos courtesy of Klas Hoglund
A pair of Chocolate Muscovies from Poland
Photo courtesy of Kefas23 & Lukasz Wlodarczyk
The head of "Dave," a Muscovy drake
Photo courtesy of Rupert Stephenson
Young Lavender Muscovies
Photo courtesy of Frances A.
Bassom
Lavender Muscovies and the head of a hen
Photos courtesy of Taryn Koerker
A young Blue Barred Muscovy hen
Photo courtesy of Klas Hoglund
A pair of feral Muscovies and a close up of the male's head
Photos courtesy of Susan Bromen
A feral Scobie drake from Ontario
Photo courtesy of Laura Steininger
A feral Scobie family in Florida
Photo courtesy of Frank Figora
"Coconut," a stray or possibly feral Muscovy that was lucky
enough to become a loved pet.
Photo courtesy of Amy Barroll
A Muscovy drake swimming
Photo courtesy of Baudewyn Meersseman
Barred Muscovies at three months
Photo courtesy of Lindsay Allen
Muscovies in a market in Peru
Photo courtesy of Larry Ross
A Muscovy nest
Photo courtesy of Marilyn Rhea Cheeseman
Mule Duck: A Muscovy/Silver Appleyard young
drake
Photo courtesy of Pam Marshall
A Muscovy X Runner Duck mix Hey, Mom! Where are you?
A Muscovy duckling A brood of Muscovy ducklings A Blue Muscovy duckling
A Smoke duckling and a clutch of Sepia ducklings Chocolate Muscovy ducklings Muscovy ducklings from Sweden
[Ducks] or
Direct questions and comments to Barry at FeatherSite -- questions and comments
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
Photo courtesy of Kong Xyooj
Photo courtesy of Nicole Reggia
Photo courtesy of Klas Hoglund
Photos courtesy of Klas Hoglund
Photo courtesy of Kefas23 & Lukasz Wlodarczyk
Photo courtesy of Daniel Sörensen
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