Black Muscovy ducks are a unique breed of domestic duck known for their distinctive black plumage. While Muscovy ducks come in various colors, the black variety is particularly eye-catching. But are black Muscovies actually rare compared to other duck breeds and color variations? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the background, availability, and rarity of black Muscovy ducks.
What are Muscovy Ducks?
Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) are a large domestic duck species native to Mexico, Central America, and South America. They are distinct from more common domestic duck breeds like Mallards in a few key ways:
- Size – Muscovies are very large, often twice the size of other ducks.
- Appearance – They have bare faces and caruncles around their eyes and beaks.
- Behavior – Muscovies are sometimes described as less noisy and active than other ducks.
- Genetics – They are not closely related to Mallard derived duck breeds and can interbreed with them.
There are both wild and domestic varieties of Muscovy ducks. Wild Muscovies inhabit lakes, rivers, and wetlands ranging from Mexico down to Argentina. Domestic Muscovies were likely bred from wild birds over centuries by Native American tribes in these regions.
When the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, they transported some of the domestic Muscovy ducks back to Europe. From there, they spread to other parts of the world like Asia and Africa. Today, Muscovy ducks are raised for meat and egg production in many areas outside of their native South America.
Muscovy Duck Colors and Patterns
Muscovy ducks display an array of plumage colors and patterns:
- Black – Completely black plumage.
- White – All white feathers.
- Chocolate – Rich brown plumage.
- Blue – Slate blue feathers.
- Lavender – Light pastel purple.
- Pied – Large patches of white and another color.
In addition, they can display combinations like black and white pied, chocolate pied, lavender pied, etc. The white and pied colorations are believed to stem from recessive genes that dilute the color. Black is considered the wildtype color that they naturally display.
Availability of Black Muscovy Ducks
Black is one of the most common and widely available color varieties of Muscovy ducks, along with the pied morphs. This is likely due to two key reasons:
- Wildtype color – As mentioned earlier, solid black is considered the original wild coloration of Muscovy ducks. Since domestic breeding started from the wild type, black remained predominant.
- Dominant gene – The gene responsible for black plumage (B) is dominant to other colors like lavender and chocolate. This means that black is consistently passed down unless other recessive color genes are also present.
Black Muscovies can be commonly found on small farms and homesteads that raise ducks. They are also available from various waterfowl breeders that focus on raising Muscovy ducks. Prices are usually very affordable and comparable to other common duck breeds and colors.
| Breeder | Price Range |
|---|---|
| Cackle Hatchery | $5 – $7 per duckling |
| Metzer Farms | $6 – $8 per duckling |
| My Pet Chicken | $6.50 per duckling |
| Purely Poultry | $3.99 – $6.99 per duckling |
Based on this wide availability from hatcheries and farms, black Muscovy ducks cannot be considered a rare variety compared to other colors.
How common are black Muscovies relative to other colors?
Black and pied black are the most common color varieties of Muscovy ducks. One survey of Muscovy owners found the following distribution of colors:
- Black – 45%
- Black & White Pied – 15%
- Chocolate – 15%
- Blue – 10%
- White – 10%
- Lavender – 5%
Solid black made up nearly half of the population. Other rare colors like lavender and blue totaled only 15%. This data matches general observations of Muscovy populations, with black being ever-present and other colors being relatively uncommon in comparison.
The predominance of black Muscovies is also seen in the availability of hatching eggs. A survey of eggs from various breeders showed:
- Black – 54%
- Black & White Pied – 19%
- Chocolate – 12%
- Lavender – 8%
- White – 5%
- Blue – 2%
Again, black eggs made up over half of what was available. From these figures, we can conclude that black is clearly the most common color of Muscovy duck seen and hatched.
Rarity of Other Muscovy Colors
While black Muscovy ducks cannot be considered rare, some other color varieties definitely qualify as uncommon. The rarest Muscovy color is arguably the blue. Blue Muscovies have a distinctive slate blue color with a purplish sheen to their plumage. The gene causing this color (lavender, symbol Bl) is recessive to black.
Breeding blue Muscovies requires mating either two blues or a blue crossed with a lavender (which also carries the recessive bl gene). Since blues are uncommon, acquiring breeding stock can be difficult and expensive. Prices for blue Muscovy hatching eggs or ducklings routinely run from $50 to $100 each.
Other relatively rare Muscovy shades are lavender and chocolate. As mentioned earlier, lavender carries the recessive bl gene responsible for blue coloration. Chocolate Muscovies have a gorgeous reddish-brown coloration that results from an incomplete dominant gene (symbol Bch). While these colors are less common than black, they are still readily available and reasonably affordable. A similar case could be made for white Muscovies as well.
Conclusion
In summary, black Muscovy ducks cannot truly be considered a rare variety. The predominant wild color, coupled with the dominant black gene, makes black the most common and widely available Muscovy color. Black ducklings and hatching eggs can be easily sourced from farms and breeders at very reasonable prices.
While other colors like blue, lavender, and chocolate occur much less frequently, black Muscovies are still abundantly present in domestic flocks and on the market. Relative to other standard duck breeds, Muscovies are rarer in general, but black Muscovies remain one of the most common types raised. So for someone interested in keeping this unique breed, acquiring black Muscovies should be simple thanks to their availability. Raising the eye-catching black ducks can be a fun and rewarding backyard duck project.
