Muscovy Duck

Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) is a large tropical duck with broad wings; wild adults are dark with white wing patches and males have red facial caruncles. The combination of body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provides the most useful field characters. Age, sex and season can alter its appearance, so identification should use several features rather than colour alone. This supports comparison with similar species in the field (Wikipedia, general species account).

It uses wooded wetlands, roosts and nests in trees, and eats plant material, insects and other small food. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds more likely to gather where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant, visitor or introduced bird (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).