The large Muscovy duck is native to the tropics of Mexico and Central and South America but in Hawaiʻi, you’ll see domestic stock living near ponds. They can reach about 30 inches long and weight a hefty 15 pounds. They are mostly black and white with a trademark red or pink wattles around their bills. They have been bred by Native Americans for centuries and today you may see them on the menu as “Barbary duck.”

The map below shows hotspots along our birding trails where you might see this bird.