It was spring. At least I think it was spring. Having come from the snowy, blustery, winter lands of Michigan last year, identifying the seasons in the warm and usually sunny Texas is still hard for me to do. Anyway, it was February and the birds at our local pond really a playa, but that is rather complicated) were changing. New to the scene were five very ugly ducks.

They were friendly and loved to eat, but boy were these chicken faced ducks really ugly. Calling them names didn't bother me and I started to refer to them as the chicken ducks immediately. As time went on more and more of the ducks we had had all winter left and more and more chicken faced ducks appeared in the small body of water.

They were funny to watch as they ate their food with excitement and even wagged their long duck tails while doing it much like a dog. Finally, I couldn't take it any longer. Curiosity of what this bird really was took over and I Googled the only thing that I could think of "Chicken Ducks".

I was amazed at how many people had commented about them, added them to their blogs, and had the feeling that they were actually a hybrid between a chicken and a duck. Of course I soon came across some real information.

These birds were actually Muscovy Ducks and native to South and Central America. They have populations all over the world due to domestication and the fact that they often escape into the wild. While mine were an ugly dark brown/black color with a whitish head and that ugly red knobby face, the only real requirement for the Muscovy duck was that they have the knobby face!

Well, this duck is certainly one that is more then just meets the eye. With a great personality, a long history, and a lot of information you could find that the chicken duck fascinates you as well! Here is some more information if you are interested.