Participant Photo: Feral Muscovy Duck

It’s not a good photo, but I was a long way off. I happened to see the bird on my pond, but had no idea what it was. I couldn’t find it in any of my bird books. I later was able to find it online, and discovered that it is a Muscovy Duck, and was described as: “The Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck native to Mexico, Central, and South America. Small wild and feral breeding populations have established themselves in the United States, particularly in the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, as well as in many other parts of North America, including southern Canada. Feral Muscovy Ducks are found in New Zealand and have also been reported in parts of Europe.” I have no idea what it was doing on the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee.