Editing Muscovy duck (section)

==Ecology==
[[File:Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata) couple perched for the night ... (27751132099).jpg|left|thumb|Pair roosting in a tree at dusk, French Guyana]]
This [[Bird migration|non-migratory]] species normally inhabits [[forest]]ed [[swamp]]s, [[lake]]s, [[stream]]s and nearby [[grassland]] and farm crops,{{sfn|Accordi|Barcellos|2006}} and often roosts in trees at night. The diet consists of plant material (such as the [[root]]s, [[Plant stem|stem]]s, [[leaves]], and [[seed]]s of [[aquatic plant]]s and [[grass]]es, as well as terrestrial plants, including agricultural [[crop]]s) obtained by grazing or dabbling in shallow water, and small [[fish]], [[amphibian]]s, [[reptile]]s, [[crustacean]]s, [[spider]]s, insects, [[millipede]]s, and [[worm]]s.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/images/Cairina_moschata%20-%20Wild%20Muscovy%20Duck.pdf |title=Cairina moschata (Wild Muscovy Duck)|website=Sta.uwi.edu|access-date=9 June 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cairina_moschata/ | title=Cairina moschata (Muscovy duck) | website=[[Animal Diversity Web]] }}</ref><ref name=fws/><ref>{{cite journal | url=https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/musduc/cur/foodhabits | title=Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata), version 1.0 | journal=Birds of the World | date=2020 | last1=Eitniear | first1=Jack C. | last2=Bribiesca-Formisano | first2=R. | last3=Rodríguez-Flores | first3=Claudia I. | last4=Soberanes-González | first4=Carlos A. | last5=Arizmendi | first5=Marîa del Coro | doi=10.2173/bow.musduc.01 | url-access=subscription }}</ref> It is an aggressive duck; males often fight over food, territory or mates. The females fight with each other less often. Some adults will peck at the ducklings if they are eating at the same food source.

The Muscovy duck has benefited from nest boxes in [[Mexico]], but it is somewhat uncommon in much of the eastern part of its range due to excessive hunting. It is not considered a globally threatened species by the [[IUCN]], however, as it is widely distributed.<ref name="iucn status 13 November 2021" />

===Reproduction===
{{More citations|date=May 2025}}[[File:Cairina moschata MWNH 1056.JPG|thumb|Egg, collection [[Museum Wiesbaden]]]]
This species, like the [[mallard]], does not form stable pairs. They will mate on land or in water. The female lays a clutch of 8-15 white eggs, usually in a tree hole or hollow, which are [[Avian incubation|incubate]]d for 30-31 days.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Muscovy Duck Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology |url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Muscovy_Duck/lifehistory |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.allaboutbirds.org |language=en}}</ref> The sitting hen will leave the nest once a day from 20 minutes to one and a half hours, and will then defecate, drink water, eat and sometimes bathe. Once the eggs begin to hatch, it may take 24 hours for all the chicks to break through their shells. When feral chicks are born, they usually stay with their mother for about 10–12 weeks. Their bodies cannot produce all the heat they need, especially in temperate regions, so they will stay close to the mother, especially at night.

Often, the drake will stay in close contact with the brood for several weeks. The male will walk with the young during their normal travels in search for food, providing protection. Anecdotal evidence from [[East Anglia]], U.K. suggests that, in response to different environmental conditions, other adults assist in protecting chicks and providing warmth at night. It has been suggested that this is in response to local efforts to cull this feral population, which has led to an atypical distribution of males and females, as well as young and mature birds.

For the first few weeks of their lives, Muscovy chicks feed on grain, corn, grass, insects, and almost anything that moves. Their mother shows them at an early age how to feed.

===Feral birds===
[[File:Anseriformes - Cairina moschata - 4.jpg|thumb|right|A feral Muscovy duck in Ely, England]]
In feral birds with domesticated ancestry, the amount of white on the neck and head is variable, as well as the bill, which can be yellow, pink, black, or any mixture of these colours. It may have white patches or bars on the wings, which become more noticeable during flight. Both sexes have small red [[Wattle (anatomy)|wattle]]s around the bill, those of the male being larger and more brightly colored, and often considerably larger in feral birds.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Muscovy Duck |url=https://ebird.org/species/musduc|access-date=2021-06-17|website=ebird.org|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Muscovy Duck |url=https://txtbba.tamu.edu/species-accounts/muscovy-duck/|access-date=2021-06-17|website=txtbba.tamu.edu}}</ref>

[[Feral]] Muscovy ducks can breed near urban and suburban lakes and on farms, nesting in tree cavities or on the ground, under shrubs in yards, on apartment balconies, or under roof overhangs. Some feral populations, such as that in southern [[Florida]], have a reputation of becoming [[Pest (organism)|pest]]s on occasion.{{sfn|Johnson|Hawk|2009}} At night they often sleep at water, if there is a water source available, to flee quickly from predators if awakened. Small populations of Muscovy ducks can also be found in [[Ely, Cambridgeshire]], [[Calstock, Cornwall]], and [[Lincoln, Lincolnshire]], U.K. Muscovy ducks have also been spotted in the [[Walsall Arboretum]]. There has been a small population in the [[Buxton Pavilion Gardens|Pavilion Gardens]] public park in [[Buxton]], Derbyshire, for many years.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ispotnature.org/node/325007 | title=Muscovy duck | website=Ispotnature.org | access-date=29 August 2016}}</ref>

In the United States, Muscovy ducks are considered a non-native species, outside of [[Hidalgo County, Texas|Hidalgo]], [[Starr County, Texas|Starr]] and [[Zapata County, Texas|Zapata]] Counties in southernmost Texas, where they are considered indigenous. An owner may raise them for food production only (not for hunting). Similarly, if the ducks have no owner, [[Title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations|50CFR]] Part 21 (Migratory Bird Permits) allows the removal or destruction of the ducks, their eggs and their nests anywhere in the United States. The population in southern Florida is considered, with numbers in the several thousands, to be established enough to be considered "countable" for bird watchers.<ref name=countable/>

Legal methods to restrict breeding include not feeding these ducks, deterring them with noise or chasing them away.

Although legislation passed in the United States prohibiting trade of Muscovy ducks, the Fish and Wildlife Services intend to revise the regulations. They are not currently implementing them, though release of Muscovy ducks to the wild outside their natural range is prohibited.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fws.gov/forms/3-200-9.pdf|title = U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Forms|website=Fws.org}}</ref>