Cairina moschata
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10%
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.
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... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Ciudad Juárez | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Davao City | 🇵🇭 Philippines | |
| 5 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 6 | Antalya | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 7 | Monterrey | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 8 | Goiânia | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Campinas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Muscovy Duck sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 334 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 111th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Muscovy Duck in Sydney on a given day, against under 5% in March to January, the lowest months. That is one of Sydney's wettest months, with about 130 mm of rain against 45 mm in September.
Between 4 and 7 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Muscovy Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
70th of 113
Of the 113 cities where we can rate Muscovy Duck sightings, Sydney ranks 70th at under 5%. The best odds are in Tijuana (México, about 40%), Ciudad Juárez (México, about 40%) and Miami (United States, about 40%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Muscovy Duck that you can see in Sydney (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Pacific Black Duck (about 50%), Australian Wood Duck (about 30%) and Chestnut Teal (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Muscovy Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Sydney (334 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
