Female Muscovy Ducks (Male vs Female Identification)

Muscovy duck (thyme) is a large waterfowl in the family Anatidae. These birds are native to wetlands, rivers, and lagoons in southern, central, and southern tropical forest regions of North America. However, most people know them better because they are popular fowl that live on farms and around ponds in many local parks around the world.

So what do female Muscovy ducks look like, and how do they differ from male Muscovy ducks?

Female Muscovy ducks are about half the size of male Muscovy ducks. In the wild, they have almost entirely black tops, iridescent green wings, and no bare skin on their faces. Wild birds have varying amounts of white feathers and bare red skin around the eyes.

Domestic female Muscovy ducks may be confused with wild male Muscovy ducks in areas where they co-occur. However, gender is usually easy to distinguish. The differences take some time to develop, so it is difficult for young birds to have sex until they are a few weeks old.

Read on to learn more about wild and domesticated female Muscovy ducks. By the end of this article, you should have no problem telling them from males in the wild or in your local pond.

Close up portrait of a female Muscovy duck

How do you know if a muscovy duck is male or female?

Female muscovy ducks are called hens. They are similar to the male (Drake) in many ways. They often come in pairs or groups and are easy to tell apart if you know where to look. These are the most obvious differences:

• Female Muscovy ducks are much smaller than males.
• They don’t have a knob on the bottom of the bill.
• Male Muscovy ducks have a long feather that extends from the top of the head to the back of the neck. They show women with their badges.
• Female Muscovy ducks have a more pointed tail than males. When excited, the male will wag his broad tail to attract females.
• Wild females do not have caruncles (the exposed, warty skin on the face). Domesticated females may have bare facial skin, but far less than males.
• Females have less white plumage and less glossy plumage.

female muscovy duck

male muscovy duck

female and juvenile muscovy duck

Juvenile Muscovy ducks look very similar to adult female Muscovy ducks. Juveniles, however, tend to be duller, with brownish rather than black plumage. Young birds also have less white on their wings.

It is difficult to sex young Muscovy ducks until they are about a month old. However, young domestic females tend to develop flight feathers earlier. They may also have smaller feet and thinner legs than men.

Read on to learn more about what the female Muscovy duck looks like.

Close up of a juvenile Muscovy duck

What does a female muscovy duck look like?

Female Muscovy ducks are large, heavy waterfowl about the size of a mallard duck. Wild birds are black, but wild females may have black, brown, and white plumage. They have long necks, pointed tails and slightly elongated beaks with a slightly hooked tip.

Wild female Muscovy ducks have black legs, beak, and feet, but wild and domestic female Muscovy ducks often have pink bills, yellow legs, and pale eyes. They have amazingly long claws on their toes that allow them to grip the trees where they nest and roost. Their multipurpose feet are also webbed for better swimming.

Most wild birds you see in ponds and farms have bare red skin and caruncles around the eyes and at the base of the beak. These are rare in wild females, although older hens will develop some small caruncles.

Close-up of a female Muscovy duck

Are female muscovy ducks bigger than males?

Female Muscovy ducks are much smaller than males, and this is the first difference you’ll notice when you see a pair of these birds. Wild muscovy ducks are generally smaller than domestic birds, but the size difference is noticeable no matter where you see them.

Female Muscovy Duck Size:

• Weight: 2.4 to 3.3 lbs (1.1 – 1.5 kg). Domestic females grow heavier and can weigh upwards of ten pounds.
• Length: 28 to 30 inches (71 – 76 cm)

Specifications of male Muscovy duck:

• Weight: 4.2 to 8.8 lbs (1.9 – 4 kg). Domestic males can weigh up to 18 pounds.
• Length: 30 to 33 inches (76 – 84 cm)

behavioral difference

Adult male Muscovy ducks may attack each other. They are territorial and will fight other males to secure access to females. The most dominant males mate with a few females, while the lesser males tend to find no mates.

Female muscovy ducks are less aggressive than males. They will mate with drakes in their main territory with good feeding and nesting opportunities. They reach sexual maturity at about 28 weeks, slightly earlier than males.

Female (left) and male (right) Muscovy ducks

sing and call

Muscovy ducks are relatively quiet, but they make distinctive sounds that can be very helpful in determining their sex.

This species is not known for rattling, although females rattle or rattle when frightened. They are very vocal when they have ducklings.

Female Muscovy ducks utter a melodious murmur of musical quality. Males lose their voices as they mature, but they still hiss and wheeze harshly.

nesting and feeding

Despite their size, wild muscovy ducks nest in tree cavities and burrows, sometimes more than fifty feet (15m) above the ground. They build nests during the rainy season and the female lays about 10 eggs (8-15) per clutch.

The female Muscovy duck alone builds the nest, protects and incubates the eggs, and raises the ducklings alone. The smooth, whitish eggs take more than a month to hatch, and the ducklings learn to eat by watching their parents. Ducklings eat a variety of foods, including insects, grasses, and seeds.

Muscovy ducks are precocious, which means they can move around and feed themselves after hatching. Young birds follow their mothers, staying close to them for warmth at night and in inclement weather.

Ducklings learn to fly at about 70 days old and often stick together after their mother leaves.

Male and female Muscovy ducks – female in the foreground

Can Muscovy ducks be reared alone?

Female muscovy ducks can raise their young alone. These birds are not monogamous, and a successful male may mate with several different females. In the wild, these dominant drakes are unable to care for the offspring of multiple partners.

However, some poultry breeders report that domesticated males are protective of their young.

Closeup of a domesticated female Muscovy duck

common problem

What color is the female muscovy duck?

Wild female Muscovy ducks are almost entirely black. Their upper wings have white wing spots and iridescent green plumage. Domesticated females have varying amounts of white, brown, and gray plumage, and some are all white.

Do female muscovy ducks hiss?

Female Muscovy ducks quack, rattle and squeal. Males hiss during courtship and when exhibiting to other males.

How long do female muscovy ducks live?

Wild muscovy ducks can live eight to twelve years, but domestic birds have a longer life expectancy. With good care and protection from predators, some Muscovy ducks can live up to 20 years.

Can female muscovy ducks fly?

Muscovy ducks have strong flying ability, and female Muscovy ducks have stronger flying ability due to their lighter body. Even domestic birds fly, usually in trees above the ground.