Red-faced Muscovy Duck

[moonpenny01]

Saw a very strange looking duck today, sitting on the bank of Cannop Ponds, Forest of Dean, completely unpeturbed by our presence. Have just identified it as a Red-faced Muscovy Duck, probably female based on size and presumably an escapee.

[aeshna5]

The Muscovies seen in this country are normally domestic birds- possibly WWT have the wild species somewhere in their collection somewhere, which hail from central America just getting into southern Texas. The wild birds are much sleeker + darker in colour than the domestic birds.

They are popular farm/pet/park birds so wil have escaped from somewhere or even released at the site.

[Harold Smith]

The Muscovey is a regular visitor to Cannop ponds. They can surprise you as they like to sit in trees along the banks and suddenly jump down when your walking by. I understand that the Cannop ponds ducks are feral ones that probably originated from domestic escapes or releases.

Here is a photo of one I took at Cannop ponds last February.




Harold

[moonpenny01]

This was the only Muscovy duck we saw on either of the ponds and we didn't see any in the trees close by, but will certainly watch out for them in future!