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Letter to the editor

Ducks: big, mean, defecating machines or efficient fowls?

By ANNE LINDBERG, Times Staff Writer
Published September 26, 2007

KENNETH CITY - Perhaps the dispute between the Hatfields and McCoys began with folks passionately taking sides over a seemingly innocent pastime.

Like duck feeding. Muscovy duck feeding.

On one side are people like Kenneth City Mayor Muriel Whitman, who may not outright hate the ducks but who are tired of having hordes of Muscovies tearing up their yards and depositing digested bugs and other icky things on their lawns.

On the other side are duck lovers like Maureen Lyons, who enjoy feeding the large birds and accuse some people of wholesale abuses that include maiming, killing and, in the case of one police officer, pepper spraying Muscovies.

The factions are clashing over a proposal to tweak a Kenneth City ordinance that bans the feeding of wild animals on public property. The change - the no crackers for quackers amendment, perhaps? - would prohibit feeding wild animals on private property as well. The proposal is expected to come up during next month's council meeting.

Such duck disputes are so common that the state Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission refers to them on its Web site, www.myfwc.com. The disputes are rooted in a Muscovy population explosion, the agency says.

"Muscovies can be extremely prolific, and local populations, if uncontrolled, can increase dramatically in a short time," the agency says. "As a result, controversies frequently arise between residents who enjoy the birds and residents who consider them a nuisance."

Wildlife biologists are also familiar with the mixed emotions that Muscovies provoke.

"People with the best intentions begin feeding (them)," said Stephanie Boyles, a wildlife biologist with PETA, an animal rights group. "But unless your property backs right up (to their habitat), you're going to cause strife in your community."

The strife, Boyles said, starts in part because Muscovies don't do a lot of flying. So, rather than flying over to get a free handout, they waddle over. That waddling takes them across the lawns, driveways and other property belonging to folks who don't feed ducks.

Why would that cause such angst?

"This is just prejudice against Muscovy ducks," said Mark Ely, Seminole's director of community development. "They're big. They're mean ... they have this claw on the back of their paw."

Let's face it: Humans prefer cuddly animals. Especially the furry ones. In the recent cute-animal contest put on by the World Wildlife Fund, the panda came in first. The polar bear was second. Dead last? The anaconda, said Kerry Zobor, WWF spokeswoman.

"A lot of people don't find it an attractive duck," agreed Jeanne Murphy, a wildlife biologist with the Pinellas County Extension Service. Murphy is a board member of the local chapter of the Audubon Society.

"I do think that some people think they are ugly, but when I talk to people ...more people are repulsed by the amount of guano that moves through the bird," Murphy said. And it lands everywhere - lawns, rooftops, pools, sidewalks, driveways, you name it.

Murphy said the University of Florida estimates that each Muscovy produces a third of a pound of manure per day. "It isn't an insignificant amount," she says.

Boyles, the PETA biologist, said people can be sweet to an animal until the creature costs them time or money or damages property. Then, things change no matter how cute the animal is.

"The animal is always going to seem completely harmless (and) blameless until it does something to cost you time or money," Boyles said. "I think most people empathize with the animal but they (stop) when it damages their property. ... An animal does one thing in your mind to wrong you, they become an outcast."

When that happens, some humans take their frustration out on the animal, she said.

But Muscovies have their friends, too. One woman has a Web site devoted to their finer points.

She writes: "They are clean, funny, friendly, and they are like innocent children playing around, and they come up to you and wag their tail like puppy dogs ...

"The Muscovy ducks are worth their weight in gold at eating mosquitos and insects. They eat the mosquito larva right in the water, and they nip in the air and eat the ones flying around. They love roaches and eat them like they are candy, they eat flies and maggots and do a lot to keep down the fly population."

Fast facts

Muscovy duck lore

Despite their name, Muscovies are from South America, not Moscow. There seems to be some question about the origin of the name. One Web site says it refers to a musk gland. Another says it started out as "Musco duck" for "Mosquito duck."

They have claws on their feet so they can hang on to tree branches. They once roosted in tree hollows.

They do not swim much because their oil glands are less developed than most ducks'.

One Muscovy was supposedly a decorated veteran of World War II.Known as Cpl. Haggis, the duck was reportedly awarded the Italy Star, Long Service and Good Conduct medals for service in Italy, France, Holland and Belgium. Cpl. Haggis' service came to a tragic end when he wandered away from his British troop while foraging for dinnertime bugs. He was spotted by a Canadian troop, whose members shot him for their own dinner.

Speaking of dinner, Muscovies have the leanest meat of any duck and less fat and calories per pound than turkey. And they don't taste like chicken. They taste more like veal.

Information in this report came from the University of Florida and the following Web Sites: www.ansi.okstate.edu; www.feathersite.com; www.grimaud.com; www.muscovyduckcentral.com; and geocities.com/MUSCOVYDUCKS.

[Last modified September 25, 2007, 21:40:03]