Duck or goose?

Hello.  I saw this bird today on the Brecon & Monmouthshire canal at Gilwern.  Can you identify it?  And is it a duck or a goose?  Not the mallards, obviously...

  • Pretty sure it's a duck from the size but not sure about the species.

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • I would say it's a grey variant of a Muscovy Duck - probably female. See HERE - scroll down for a good match with your bird. Although there's a lot of variation because they've been domesticated over many years they all have the characteristic red skin near and around the eye.

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    Tony

    My Flickr Photostream 

  • I'm tempted to go for Muscovy duck.

    For me, the size in relation to the mallards plus the red around the eye suggests that.

    If I'm wrong, someone will point us in the right direction.

  • Wow - thank you all for such quick and thoughtful replies. I see that the Muscovy is native to the Americas, but I assume some are domesticated in the UK?
  • I think that all the Muscovy Ducks in this country are the descendants of those imported originally for domestic purposes. However, many have gone feral and those are the ones we see. I don't know if they are still farmed.

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    Tony

    My Flickr Photostream 

  • Tony,as you can still buy Muscovy ducks on line I presume they are still being bred. Thinking back many years to when I had back yard poultry I think they come in a wide variety of colours

    Pete

    Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can