The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is a species of duck native to the Americas, from the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and Mexico south to Argentina and Uruguay. The species has been domesticated, and feral Muscovy ducks can be found locally in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and in Central and Eastern Europe.
Description
It is a large duck, with the males significantly larger than the females. The males are 76–84 cm (30–33 in) long and weigh up to 3–4 kg (6.6–8.8 lb); females are 71–76 cm (28–30 in) long and 1.25 kg (2.8 lb) weight, roughly half the weight of the males. The wingspan is from 137 to 152 cm (54 to 60 in). The plumage is predominantly black, with large white patches on the wing; the back and wing feathers being iridescent and glossy in males, while the females are more drab. Muscovy ducks have long claws on their feet and a wide, flat tail. On the head, the male has a short crest on the nape. The bill is black with a speckling of pale pink. A blackish or dark red knob can be seen at the bill base, which is similar in colour to the bare skin of the face. The eyes are yellowish-brown. The legs and webbed feet are blackish. The female is similar in plumage, but smaller, with a feathered face and lacking the prominent knob. The juvenile is duller overall, with little or no white on the wing. The drake has a low breathy call, and the hen a quiet trilling coo.
The Domestic Muscovy duck is commonly known in Spanish as the pato criollo. They have been bred since pre-Columbian times by Native Americans and are heavier and less able to fly long distances than wild birds. Their plumage is also more variable, often with extensive white. Although the Muscovy duck is a tropical bird, it adapts well to cooler climates, thriving in weather as cold as −12 °C (10 °F) and able to survive even colder conditions. In general, Barbary duck is the term used for C. moschata in a culinary context.
Genomics A chromosome-level genome assembly of Cairina moschata was published in 2026. Generated using PacBio and Hi-C sequencing technologies, the assembly is approximately 1.27 Gb and consists of 39 chromosomes. The assembly showed a BUSCO completeness of 95.2%, and 16,901 protein-coding genes were predicted. Comparative genomic analysis found that expanded gene families were associated with immune-related pathways in C. moschata.
Taxonomy and systematics The species was first scientifically described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 edition of Systema Naturae as Anas moschata, literally meaning "musk duck". It was later transferred to the genus Cairina, making its current binomial name Cairina moschata. It is monotypic, the only species in its genus; one other species formerly included, the white-winged duck, has been transferred to its own genus, as Asarcornis scutulata. There are no subspecies. The Muscovy duck was formerly placed into the paraphyletic "perching duck" assemblage, but subsequently moved to the dabbling duck subfamily Anatinae. Analysis of the mtDNA sequences of the cytochrome b and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 genes, however, indicates that it might be closer to the genus Aix and better placed in the subfamily Tadorninae.
Biology The karyotype of the Muscovy duck is 2n=80, consisting of three pairs of macrochromosomes, 36 pairs of microchromosomes, and a pair of sex chromosomes. The two largest macrochromosome pairs are submetacentric, while all other chromosomes are acrocentric or probably telocentric for the smallest microchromosomes. The submetacentric chromosomes and the Z (female) chromosome show rather little constitutive heterochromatin (C bands), while the W chromosomes are at least two-thirds heterochromatin. Male Muscovy ducks have helical penises that become erect to 19 cm (7 in) in 0.3 seconds. Females have vaginas that coil in the opposite direction that appear to have evolved to limit forced copulation by males.
Etymology
Common name "Muscovy" "Muscovy" is an old name for the region of Russia surrounding Moscow, but these ducks are neither native there nor were introduced there before they became known in Western Europe. It is not quite clear how the term came about; it very likely originated between 1550 and 1600, but did not become widespread until somewhat later. In one suggestion, it has been claimed that the Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands traded these ducks to Europe occasionally after 1550; this chartered company became eventually known as the "Muscovy Company" or "Muscovite Company" so the ducks might thus have come to be called "Muscovite ducks" or "Muscovy ducks" in keeping with the common practice of attaching the importer's name to the products they sold. But while the Muscovite Company initiated vigorous trade with Russia, they hardly, if at all, traded produce from the Americas; thus, they are unlikely to have traded C. moschata to a significant extent. Alternatively, just as in the turkey, which is also from North America, not Turkey, and the guineafowl, which are not limited to Guinea, "Muscovy" might be simply a generic term for an exotic place, in reference to the singular appearance of these birds. This is evidenced by other names suggesting the species came from lands where it is not actually native, but from where much "outlandish" produce was imported at that time (see below). Yet another view, not incompatible with either of those discussed above, connects the species with the Muisca, a Native American nation in today's Colombia. The duck is native to these lands also, and it is likely that it was kept by the Muisca as a domestic animal to some extent. It is conceivable that a term like "Muisca duck", hard to comprehend for the average European of those times, would be corrupted into something more familiar. Likewise, the Miskito Indians of the Miskito Coast in Nicaragua and Honduras heavily relied on it as a domestic species, and the ducks as well may have been named after this region.
Species name "moschata"
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