Muscovy ducks? (1 Viewer)

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riverfish

Kernow bys vykken!

• Nov 9, 2004

• #1

Hi all,

The pictured ducks turned up on campus here at Exeter Uni sometime recently. They remind me of the muscovy ducks we had at the farm I lived on when I was younger - but are lacking the wrinkly (for want of a better term) red patch surrounding the eyes, which made me uncertain. Are these just young ones or something else?

- David.

 

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Andrew Whitehouse

Professor of Listening

Supporter

• Nov 9, 2004

• #2

I think these are domestic ducks descended from Mallards rather than Muscoveys. Might be a bit of Muscovey in them but definitely a lot of Mallard.

 

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Edward woodwood

Member

• Nov 9, 2004

• #3

real Muscovys are much darker than these

and fine birds on an oxbow lake in the Amazon!

 

KnockerNorton

Well-known member

• Nov 9, 2004

• #4

They're domestic Mallards.

I always wondered why Muscovies are so-called when they come from South America - I always thought 'Musco' referred to Moscow?!

 

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Nov 9, 2004

• #5

Those are again domestic Muscovy x domestic (mallard) duck hybrids, so called mule ducks.
See the tail which is longer and more pointed than in Mallard; and also the pink bill in one bird...

As mule ducks are sterile , they are always 50% (domestic) muscovy /50% (domestic) Mallard. A mule duck can not produce offspring and therefore there can´t be a 3/4 muscovy/ 1/4 mallard.

 

Last edited: Nov 9, 2004

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Edward woodwood

Member

• Nov 9, 2004

• #6

yeah, can often be seen around village ponds etc....

 

Joern Lehmhus

Well-known member

• Nov 9, 2004

• #7

Here is a website that shows more such hybrids of mallard and muscovy and how variable these are are

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/moineaudeparis/Oiseaux/Palmipedes/Colvert_X_Barbarie/

 

R

riverfish

Kernow bys vykken!

• Nov 9, 2004

• #8

Thanks for the info everyone... I guess the Campus List will have to stay at 36 for a bit longer.

Cheers,
David.

 

Andrew

wibble wibble

• Nov 9, 2004

• #9

How long have you been at the Uni? I ask cos I wondered if you had Nightingale on that campus list? I was informed that Nightingale used to frequent or breed in the wooded valley.

 

R

riverfish

Kernow bys vykken!

• Nov 9, 2004

• #10

I'm six weeks into my third year at Uni. Nightingale is one of the few that I *think* I've seen but either didn't see for long enough to convince myself, or was too far away for me to be sure. As I rarely take the binoculars to campus, the list is probably quite a bit shorter than it should be.

Stonechat, Wood/Willow Warbler, and Meadow Pipit are others that I wasn't sure about, and I never saw the Tawny Owl that I occasionally heard in the first year.

Andrew said:

How long have you been at the Uni? I ask cos I wondered if you had Nightingale on that campus list? I was informed that Nightingale used to frequent or breed in the wooded valley.

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