Some domestic varieties look very unlike Mallards, such as the large, all-white Pekin and Aylesbury ducks. Pekins are the typical barnyard duck, while the less common Aylesbury is a very heavy-breasted bird. The ancestry of the Cayuga duck is controversial. The pure domestic Cayuga is completely dark, but a motley white breast patch and some white on the wings are common irregularities, especially in feral Cayugas. Domestic Muscovy ducks, which resemble geese more than ducks, vary considerably in colour, markings, and bill characteristics.
Males feature red facial skin patches, or caruncles, and a crested head.
Since wild Muscovies are native to tropical America, any Muscovy seen locally in the wild must be feral. A migrating pair of domestic Muscovies has lived in Stanley Park's Lost Lagoon for the last several springs. We observed another individual in Jericho Park during January and February of 1993. These traits of intergrades may also appear as natural variations. Conclusion Hybridization between ducks in the wild is relatively rare, but does occur more often than is realized.