Lucas Delgado
The Muscovy duck, native to the Americas, comes in a variety of colours and patterns. While the wild ducks are predominantly black with white patches on their wings, the domesticated versions have more variable plumage. Muscovy ducklings can be identified by their colour and patterns, which can include barred, ripple, looney, pied, buff, silver, cream, lilac, lavender, bronze, blue, and chocolate. The colour of the ducklings' heads, bodies, bills, and feet can be used to determine their colour as adults. For example, chocolate ducklings hatch with rusty brown heads and brown bodies, while lilac ducklings have brown heads and light tan bodies. Muscovy ducks are also known for their large bodies, long necks, and red, warty facial skin.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of eggs | 8–15 |
| Incubation period | 30–31 days |
| Hatching time | Up to 24 hours |
| Time with mother | 10–12 weeks |
| Body colour | Black, blue, brown, buff, lilac, silver, cream, white, chocolate, or lavender |
| Bill colour | Yellow, pink, black, light bluish purple, light brown, or bluish hues |
| Feet colour | Light reddish brown, pinkish/purple, or dark coloured |
| Eye colour | Brown, grey, or greenish sheen |
| Patterns | Pied, barred, ripple, looney, or solid |
| Size | Males: 76–84 cm (30–33 in) long, up to 3–4 kg (6.6–8.8 lb); Females: 71–76 cm (28–30 in) long, 1.25 kg (2.8 lb) |
| Wingspan | 137–152 cm (54–60 in) |
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What You'll Learn
- White, lilac, and blue-eyed chicks usually have grey eyes
- Ducklings with a dark spot on their head will have a coloured 'cap'
- Lavender ducklings have blue/grey heads and bluish-grey bodies
- Chocolate ducklings have reddish-brown heads and almost no body colour
- Buff, silver, and cream ducklings are hard to tell apart as babies
White, lilac, and blue-eyed chicks usually have grey eyes
The eye colour of Muscovy ducklings can be an indicator of their feather colour as adults. White, lilac, and blue-eyed chicks usually have grey eyes. Conversely, dark-coloured ducks, such as black or brown ducks, typically have brown eyes.
White Muscovy ducks are the most common variety, and their adult plumage is predominantly white, although they may have a cap of another colour, usually black or chocolate. Ducklings that will become white adults can be identified by their yellow down and pink bills and feet.
Lilac Muscovy ducks are a mix of blue and chocolate. Their ducklings have rusty-brown heads, slightly lighter than the heads of chocolate ducklings, and light tan-coloured bodies. As adults, lilacs have brown heads and light blue-overlayed bodies, giving them a pastel appearance.
Blue Muscovy ducks are also known as Blue Fawn. They can be various shades, but all show a mix of chocolate and blue tones in their feathers. Blue ducklings can be identified by the white colour of their down, and the fact that they will likely grow up to have a white head.
In addition to these colours, Muscovy ducks also come in black, pied (black and white), buff, brown, and chocolate. All other colours originate from these.
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Ducklings with a dark spot on their head will have a coloured 'cap'
Muscovy ducks come in a variety of colours and patterns, and it can be tricky to determine their colour when they are ducklings. However, one tell-tale sign is a dark spot on their head, which indicates that they will have a coloured cap as adults.
The colour of the spot can give you an indication of the colour of the cap. For example, a duckling with a black spot will likely grow up to have a black cap, while a chocolate-coloured spot will usually result in a chocolate-coloured cap. These are the two most common coloured caps seen in Muscovy ducks.
It is important to note that Muscovy ducklings with coloured caps may also have other colour variations as they mature. For example, a duckling with a chocolate-coloured spot on its head may grow up to have a fully chocolate-coloured body, or it may have chocolate and white colouring, known as a pied Muscovy. Similarly, a duckling with a black spot on its head may become a solid black adult or a black and white pied duck.
In addition to the coloured cap, ducklings with dark spots on their heads can also exhibit other colour patterns on their bodies. For instance, they may have coloured tails, or their bodies may be a different colour from their heads. As they mature, their body colour may change, and they may develop additional colour patterns, such as barring or lacing.
Determining the colour of Muscovy ducks as chicks can be a challenging task, and while the presence of a dark spot on the head is a good indicator of a coloured cap, other factors, such as the colour of the body and tail, can also provide clues about their future plumage.
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Lavender ducklings have blue/grey heads and bluish-grey bodies
The colour of Muscovy ducks as chicks can be used to determine their adult colour. Ducklings are typically yellow, but there are some variations. For example, lavender Muscovy ducklings have blue/grey heads and bluish-grey bodies.
Lavender ducklings are born with blue/grey heads and bluish-grey bodies. As they mature, their colouring will change to a darker grey with reddish/purple tones. Their bills will develop black pigment, and their beans and feet will turn black/grey. To breed true lavenders, both parent ducks must be lavender or lavender carriers. This is because the lavender colouring is autosomal recessive, meaning that both parents must carry the gene to produce lavender offspring.
Lavender Muscovy ducks are similar in colour to silver ducks, but there are some differences. Silver ducks are darker than lavender ducks, and they have tannish tones rather than reddish/purple tones. Silvers are also autosomal recessive, so both parents must be silver or silver carriers to produce silver offspring.
Another variety of Muscovy duck is the magpie. This variety has a white body with bold patches of black colouring. The cap, saddle, and tail feathers are all the same colour, while the rest of the body is white. The magpie colouring is caused by gene mutations.
Muscovy ducks come in many different colours and patterns, including barred, ripple, and looney. They are native to the Americas, but they have also been introduced to other parts of the world, such as New Zealand, Australia, and Europe.
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Chocolate ducklings have reddish-brown heads and almost no body colour
When it comes to determining the colour of Muscovy ducks as chicks, there are a few key things to look out for. Muscovy ducks come in a variety of colours and patterns, and their appearance can vary depending on their age and the specific genes they carry.
Chocolate ducklings, in particular, can be identified by their reddish-brown heads and lack of body colour. Their bills will be a light bluish-purple colour, and their bean and feet will also be in similar shades. As they mature, the bean and feet will lighten to a fleshy pink colour. The chocolate colour in ducks is caused by the Chocolate Dilution Alleles (D+, d) gene, which dilutes the black pigment to a chocolate brown. This gene is sex-linked, meaning it is linked to the Z chromosome.
It's important to note that the colouring of Muscovy ducklings can vary depending on their specific genes and the colours of their parents. For example, lilac ducklings, which are a mix of chocolate and blue, will have brown heads similar to chocolate ducklings but with a light blue overlay on their bodies. Buff ducklings, which are chocolate with silver, will have heads that are similar to silver ducklings but with a light tannish colour.
The amount of white on the neck and head of feral Muscovy ducks can also vary, as well as the colour of their bills, which can be yellow, pink, black, or a mixture of these colours. Additionally, some ducklings may have white patches or bars on their wings, which become more noticeable during flight.
Overall, while chocolate ducklings can be identified by their reddish-brown heads and lack of body colour, there can be some variation in the colouring of Muscovy ducks due to genetics and environmental factors.
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Buff, silver, and cream ducklings are hard to tell apart as babies
Buff, silver, and cream Muscovy ducklings are challenging to distinguish from one another as babies. They may be mistaken for white ducklings, but they have a more creamy hue to their down, and sometimes their bills have a bluish tint, and their feet may be darker.
Buff ducklings are a mix of chocolate and silver, resulting in a lighter shade than lilac. They have heads resembling those of silver ducklings but are light tannish in colour, and their bodies are the same light tannish colour as their heads. Their bills are very light with light brown pigment, and their bean and feet are also light tan.
Silver ducklings are an uneven metallic grey. They have a rusty red chest as juveniles, which disappears and sometimes reappears after moulting. Silvers can be confused with lavenders, but pure lavenders are always darker unless mixed with blue or silver, in which case, they appear lighter. Silvers may exhibit tannish tones from exposure to sunshine and may display lacing and darker bleed-through feathers, similar to blues.
Cream ducklings are a mix of lavender and chocolate. They hatch with light tannish-coloured heads and lighter tan bodies. Their bills are light pinkish-purple, and their bean and feet are light reddish-brown, turning light brown as they mature. Adult creams are a light tan or vanilla colour from head to tail, with brown pigment on the bill, a light brown bean, and brown feet.
It is important to note that determining the colour of Muscovy ducklings can be challenging, and even experienced breeders may find it difficult to differentiate between these colours with certainty. Additionally, male and female Muscovy ducklings may appear identical in their early stages of development, further complicating the identification process. While there are some methods to determine the sex of young ducks, such as bill shape and feather growth rate, these differences may not be apparent until the ducks are a few weeks old.
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Frequently asked questions
Ducklings that will turn out to be white will have yellow down and pink bills and feet.
Ducklings that will turn out to be lilac will have rusty brown heads and light tan bodies. They will have brown pigment on their bills and their feet will be brown.
Ducklings that will turn out to be lavender will have blue/grey heads and bluish-grey bodies.
