Muscovy Duck Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesMuscovy Duck
Adult male
Large heavy-bodied duck. Mostly dark above and below with a white wing patch. The face is marked with red warty-looking bumps.
© Marco Valentini / Macaulay LibraryMato Grosso, September 23, 2017Adult female
Large heavy-bodied duck with a long neck. Wild birds are glossy black with white wing patches and are forest dwellers, nesting in tree cavities.
© Anonymous / Macaulay LibrarySalta, January 24, 2020Adult (Domestic type)
Large heavy-bodied duck with warty red spots on face. Feral birds have varying amounts of white to brown patches on their bodies.
© Steve Percival / Macaulay LibraryFlorida, April 11, 2013Adult (Domestic type)
Feral birds have varying amounts of white to brown patches on their bodies and varying amounts of red wartlike bumps on the face.
© Jeanne Kaufman / Macaulay LibraryFloridaAdult and juvenile
Forages in shallow ponds and wetlands. From a distance looks all dark. Note long neck and sloping forehead.
© Hank Davis / Macaulay LibraryMato Grosso, August 27, 2016Similar SpeciesGreater White-fronted Goose
Adult
Greater White-fronted Geese have a longer neck than Muscovy Ducks. They also have white undertails whereas Muscovy Ducks have dark undertails. Also note lack of wartlike bumps on the face.
© Derek Rogers / Macaulay LibraryNew York, January 14, 2016Similar SpeciesMallard
Breeding male (Northern)
Mallards are smaller than Muscovy Ducks and lack the warty face and sloping bill shape.
© Liron Gertsman / Macaulay LibraryBritish Columbia, November 21, 2015Similar SpeciesDouble-crested Cormorant
Breeding adult
Double-crested Cormorants have a slimmer bill, a longer tail, and a more elongated and slender body than a Muscovy Duck.
© Mark Sawyer / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, March 10, 2017Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Ducks, Geese, and Waterfowl(Order: Anseriformes, Family: Anatidae)
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