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["Brungardt, Sam (MPCA)" <Sam.Brungardt@state.mn.us>]

My experience with muscovies is that they can all fly until the drakes get too heavy.  After that, only the ducks (females) are able to fly after they attain their mature weight (and generally do not fly unless really pressed to do so). 

 

I’d take their wisdom with a grain of salt.  One autumn nightl we lost more than 20 muscovies to coyotes.  They were spending the night on the shore of one of our stock ponds, where the coyotes found them easy picking.

 

Having said all that, I have a great deal of affection for muscovies, their self-sufficient nature, ability to reproduce and rear a brood of ducklings unaided, tendency to get much of their sustainence from grazing and catching bugs and such, and the fact that they make hardly any noise.

 

And, I know this comment will not be appreciated by some, but guineas, despite the racket they make, are one of the more intriguing avian species I’ve ever worked with.

 

-- Sam Brungardt, St. Paul, Minn. (USDA Hardiness Zone 4b)

 

From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Richard Wagner
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2011 4:10 PM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] ducks

 

Richard Wagner,

 

Muscovy ducks are good flyers, much better than wild turkeys for example. I have seen ours fly as a flock 100-150 feet high and for 1.25 miles (circular route).

 

The can also dive. One I observed a large unidentifiable bird approaching the pond. The ducks recognized it the same time as I did and they all dived below the surface scattering underwater. They eventually popped up about 100+ feet. THe bird was a bald eagle. They are not frightened by large hawks or vultures so they can distinguish species and not just size.