Diet of Muscovy Ducks

The Muscovy duck belongs to the taxonomic genus Cairina. It is a large species of duck and is native to Mexico and parts of Central and South America. However, it has been introduced to North America and can be found in many public parks in the United States. They are characterized by the red “masks” on their faces and predominantly black plumage.

  1. Food

    • The Muscovy duck is omnivorous, meaning that it eats both plant matter and animals. They are opportunistic and will adapt to whatever the predominant foodstuffs available are. They eat roots, seeds and stems of a variety of terrestrial and aquatic plants. They will also eat agricultural crops if they have access to them. Animal species that the Muscovy duck eats include small fish, amphibians such as frogs, crustaceans such as snails, and insects, with termites being particularly favored.

    Feeding

    • Muscovy ducks are just as comfortable feeding on land as on the water. They will graze grasses and plants much like larger grazing mammals, moving back and forth across an area of pasture. Their comparatively large size also gives them good upper body strength to unearth roots and burrowing insects. On the water they will eat plant matter and animals on the surface or dip their heads underwater to access shallow-lying prey. However, they do not dive underwater.

    Behavior

    • Muscovy ducks tend to feed during the early morning and early evening hours of the day. Unusually for ducks, they will spend the majority of the remaining hours of the day resting in trees. After feeding in the evening they will either return to the trees to roost for the night or sleep on a body of water, if available. Both of these strategies are intended to prevent predation.

    Problem

    • Because of their propensity to eat almost anything available to them, Muscovy ducks are popular with visitors to the public parks that they often inhabit. However, in certain cases, the ducks have become aggressive toward people in the expectation of receiving food. In some parks in the U.S., measures are being taken to try to reduce Muscovy duck populations to avoid this confrontation.

    Muscovy Ducks as Food

    • Muscovy ducks have been domesticated and farmed for eggs and meat in many countries. Their meat is renowned for its strong taste (said to resemble roast beef) and the duck's large size makes it an attractive commercial proposition. Its ability to adapt its diet also makes it popular as a farmed duck.