Cairina moschata
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Muscovy Duck sighting in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas on a given day, based on 265 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 109th most-seen of the 308 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Muscovy Duck in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas on a given day, against under 5% in September, the lowest month. Those are among Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain a month against 190 mm in January. January to April have too few records to rate.
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.
9th of 65
Of the 65 parks where we can rate Muscovy Duck sightings, Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas ranks 9th at about 20%. The best odds are in Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 40%), Palo Verde National Park (Costa Rica, about 40%) and Anavilhanas National Park (Brazil, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Muscovy Duck that you can see in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (about 10%) and Brazilian Teal (about 10%), 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 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (265 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
