In some regions the name Barbary Duck is used for domesticated and “Muscovy Duck” for wild birds; in other places “Barbary Duck” refers specifically to the dressed carcass, while “Muscovy Duck” applies to living C. moschata, regardless of whether they are wild or domesticated. In general, “Barbary Duck” is the usual term for C. moschata in a culinary context.
The Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) is a large duck which is native to Mexico, Central and South America. A small wild population reaches into the US in the lower Rio Grande River basin in Texas. There also are feral breeding populations in North America in and around public parks in nearly every state of the USA and in the Canadian provinces; feral populations also exist in Europe. Although the Muscovy Duck is a tropical bird, it adapts to icy and snowy conditions down to –12°C (10°F) and below without ill effects.
Muscovy ducks had been domesticated by various Native American cultures in the New World when Columbus arrived. The first few were brought to Europe by the European explorers at least by the 1500s.
The Muscovy Duck has been domesticated for centuries, and is widely traded as “Barbary duck”. Muscovy breeds are popular because they have stronger-tasting meat – sometimes compared to roasted beef – than the usual domestic ducks which are descendants of the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). The meat is lean, unlike the fatty meat of mallard-derived ducks, its leanness and tenderness being often compared to that of veal. Muscovy ducks are also less noisy, and sometimes marketed as a “quackless” duck; even though they are not completely silent, they do in fact not quack. The carcass of a Muscovy Duck is also much heavier than that of most other domestic ducks, which make it ideal for the dinner table.
Domesticated Muscovy Ducks, like those pictured, often have plumage features differing from that of wild birds. White breeds are preferred for meat production, as darker ones can have much melanin in the skin, which some people find unappealing.
The Muscovy Duck can be crossed with mallards in captivity to produce hybrids, known as moulard duck (“mule duck”) because they are sterile. Muscovy drakes are commercially crossed with mallard-derived hens either naturally or by artificial insemination. The 40-60% of eggs that are fertile result in birds raised only for their meat or for production of foie gras: they grow fast like mallard-derived breeds but to a large size like Muscovy Ducks. Conversely, though crossing Mallard drakes with Muscovy hens is possible, the offspring are neither desirable for meat nor for egg production.
In addition, Muscovy ducks are reportedly cross-bred in Israel with Mallards to produce kosher duck products. The kashrut status of the Muscovy Duck has been a matter of rabbinic discussion for over 150 years.
Oscillococcinum is a homeopathic treatment made from Muscovy Duck liver and heart manufactured by the French company Boiron; similar products are also available from other manufacturers. Typically diluted with lactose and sucrose to 1:10400 (far more than one in one googol), they are supposed to relieve influenza-like symptoms, but its effectiveness has not been confirmed.
A study examining birds in northwestern Colombia for blood parasites found the Muscovy Duck to be more frequently infected with Haemoproteus and malaria (Plasmodium) parasites than chickens, domestic pigeons and domestic turkeys, and in fact almost all wild bird species studied also. It was noted than in other parts of the world, chickens were more susceptible to such infections than in the study area, but it may well be that Muscovy Ducks are generally more often infected with such parasites (which might not cause pronounced disease though, and are harmless to humans).
