Bird ID Please

[baturn]

At a local bird sanctuary I saw this duck? in company with a few swans. I've been thru all my own sources and can't ID this one. Anyone?

 

[sm4him]

It's a Muscovy duck.

 

[Just me]

Yes, muscovy duck.. a domestic breed and considered excellent meat bird. The facial wattling increases with age, esp. so on the males.

 

[Overread]

Most certainly a Muscovy duck - my old school used to have a small group on a pond next to the sports field (always fun dodging duck poo during spots )

 

[baturn]

Thank you both. That's what I thought it was but when I looked it up on a couple of bird ID sites their pictures didn't match.

 

[baturn]

Oops! A third reply. Thanks Overread.

 

[Overread]

I tend to find that whilst photos can give some idea - a good regular ID guide with drawn plates often proves to be a bigger help in distinguishing identifiable traits and features.

 

[sm4him]

^What Over said.
Plus, Muscovy ducks can vary widely in looks. This is further complicated by the fact that they often breed with Mallards and some other breeds, so there are a lot of Muscovy/Mallard "mutt" ducks out there too.

But that red skin on the face is a slam dunk ID for Muscovy, pretty much every time you see a duck with that red on its face, it's a Muscovy, no matter what the rest of it looks like.

 

[dannylightning]

that is definitely a ugly duckling. haha