The rate of building in Cape Coral has turned into a challenge for some of the
local wildlife. A family of Muscovy Ducks appeared in our yard in early June. Mama duck and her family of 11 ducklings trailed across the
street and into the grass that was begging to be mowed. You can fit what we know
about these type of ducks, actually any ducks, into a thimble and apparently,
there is a lot of controversy about these creatures and their presence in many
neighborhoods in Cape Coral.
As tempting as it is to feed all of the miscellaneous critters that wander
through the yard, we resist the urge and make an assumption that they are
capable of finding their own food source. This is probably a good rule to
follow and one often learned the hard way.
 There are plenty of canals in the area so we aren't sure why the
ducks picked our yard unless it was the shade of the trees and some of the
jungle type growth that hides much of the back yard. We did turn on the
water to give them a quick shower which they seemed to appreciate immensely.
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 Bits of information found about Muscovy ducks
includes the following:
Muscovies are the only domestic ducks that are
not derived from Mallard stock. They are a South American
species. The original (wild type) coloration is black and
white, but domestication has produced many more colors,
including white, black, chocolate, and blue. The males are
large, weighing up to twelve pounds, with the smaller females
reaching only seven.  Their feet have strong sharp claws and are built
to grasp, so that they can perch on branches. Some people
consider them ugly because of the large red warty caruncles
above the beak and around the eyes. They are, however, very
personable and interesting birds, and quite intelligent.
Unlike most domestic waterfowl, Muscovies will often fly up
and roost. They fly fairly well, especially the smaller
females, but are known more for flying around than flying
away! |
