The Muscovy Duck

I took this photo of what I believe is a domesticated female Muscovy that has escaped from somewhere to enjoy a public pond in Sacramento. I say “escaped” because the Muscovy tends to be raised for food, or to be a pet and like the one in the photo, is not as large as its wild counterpart. Additionally, females have fewer red caruncles around the eyes than males–and this looks like less to me. Finally, all the ducks at the pond are paired up–mating season is over–but this one was by itself, lending support to the notion that she is a runaway.