The Muscovy Duck is an American bird – mostly South American in the wild, but an introduced exotic bird in Florida and elsewhere around the world. These large ducks were domesticated by humans in South America at least by the 1500s. Once discovered by humans from elsewhere, they were taken to humans around the world as a source of meat and eggs. Muscovy Ducks are large, were used to living with humans, and they quickly became popular. They are very interesting birds because they vary highly in plumage color and facial patterns. The sexes are also easy to identify because a female is much smaller than a male. Siblings often share in color patterns and stay together long after they are independent. Because their skin and plumage patterns are so distinctively different among non-sibling individuals, they provide us an opportunity to study individual behavior without needing to capture and mark them.
It is unfortunate that Muscovy Ducks are often left out of field guides. Like it or not – just like the European Starling, House Sparrow, and Rock Dove -- these exotic birds are now a part of our avifauna.