Bird ID

January 5, 2004 2:35 PM

I saw an unusual bird recently. Can anyone help me identify it? (more inside)

I took a couple (1, 2) of really awful photos with my phonecam, but since those are all but useless, here's a description.

It was large, about the size of a goose. Iridescent dark blue/green plumage on its back, white mottled head with prominent red wattles around the eyes, like turkeys have (but no wattle around the bill--or is it beak?).

I saw it on a riverbank, hanging around with ducks and swans. It seemed like a water bird as well--its feet were webbed and had three toes front/one toe back, but were also scaly, tan-colored, and had pretty big claws.

I've never seen a bird like this--it seems like the offspring of a duck and a turkey.

posted by adamrice to pets & animals (6 comments total)

Where did you see it? (more specific than riverbank)
posted by drobot at 2:43 PM on January 5, 2004

Could it have been a Wild Turkey? I've seen them in central america. Amazing creatures, not at all what I expected them to look like...
posted by daver at 2:55 PM on January 5, 2004

Hmmm... webbed feet. A water turkey? (I kid not)
posted by daver at 3:04 PM on January 5, 2004

Looks like a Muscovy Duck. They're nuisance birds where I used to live in Florida, but supposedly make for excellent eating.
posted by Danelope at 3:07 PM on January 5, 2004

I believe Danelope is correct. See another here, near the bottom of the page, left side, that appears to be the spitting image of the one in the pics adamrice took.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:14 PM on January 5, 2004

Muscovy duck, that's it. Thanks. I'm in Austin TX, btw.
posted by adamrice at 3:17 PM on January 5, 2004