Bird Calls Radios Bird of the Day for Sunday, Aug 21

The Bird of the Day is the muscovy duck. Hey, why not the muscovy? Sure they aren’t wild birds, but I’ve come across enough of them in the wild that I’ve come to appreciate these large ducks.

Muscovy ducks come in a variety of color, but most are either white, black or dark green. Males also have those caruncles on their faces at the base of their bills.

Muscovy are farm ducks of Mexico and South America, but there are also plenty of farms in the U.S. that also have muscovy on their ponds. There are also feral populations, hence their inclusion here.

I saw the guy pictured above in a parking lot near a small pond. He was very brave and waddled right up the car, giving my son Andrew (five years old at the time) a big thrill. What honest to goodness wild bird is going to do that?

Be sure to check out Bird Calls every Saturday from 3 to 4 p.m. on WSTC/WNLK AM1400/1350 (in S. CT and nearby NY) or www.wstcwnlk.com from anywhere in the world (where there’s Internet access, that is.) Thanks for checking in.