Muscovy duck

A bird of the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a domesticated version of the wild Muscovy duck found in Peru, Paraguay, and Brazil in South America, and in its native habitat it mainly lives in trees. Its forelimbs (wings) have well-developed claws at the tips. Muscovy ducks are also known by other names, such as Peruvian duck, Brazilian duck, Taiwanese duck, Canton duck, and musk duck, and are widely kept as pets. Its face is featherless, with red exposed skin, and the male has a fleshy wart at the base of its beak, which is said to give off a musk-like odor. It has long feathers on its head, and in addition to the black of the wild species, there are other variations such as white and black and white spotted feathers. Males weigh about 5 kilograms and females 3.5 kilograms at adulthood, and although they produce a lot of meat, the fibers are coarse. To overcome this drawback, in Taiwan they have been inter-generic hybridized with wild ducks and are used as meat ducks. They are brood-brooding ducks, but if kept in a condition that prevents them from brooding, they will lay about 150 eggs per year.

[Takao Nishida]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

鳥綱カモ目カモ科の鳥。南アメリカのペルー、パラグアイ、ブラジルに分布する野生種のバリケンを家畜化したもので、原生地ではおもに樹上で生活する。前肢（翼）の指端には鉤(かぎ)づめが発達している。バリケンは、ペルーアヒル、ブラジルアヒル、タイワン（台湾）アヒル、カントン（広東）アヒル、ジャコウ（麝香）アヒルなどの別名でもよばれて広く飼われている。顔面は羽がなく赤い皮膚が露出し、雄の嘴(くちばし)の基部に肉いぼがあり、麝香様の臭気を出すといわれる。頭上には毛冠様の長い羽があり、羽色には野生種の黒のほか白、黒白斑(はん)などの変種がある。成体重は雄が約5キログラム、雌が3.5キログラムで、肉量は多いが繊維が粗い。この欠点を除くために、台湾ではアヒルとの属間雑種をつくり食用アヒルとして利用する。就巣性をもつが、就巣できないようにして飼うと年約150個の卵を産む。

［西田隆雄］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例