Cayuga Duck

Anas platyrhynchos domesticus

OrderAnseriformes

FamilyAnatidae

HabitatFarm ponds, park lakes, and neighborhood ponds

SeasonYear-round where kept or released

LocationLago Vista, Texas, Travis County, Texas

Size20-24 inches; a heavy domestic breed

DietGrain, aquatic plants, seeds, and insects

ConservationDomestic breed - not evaluated

CameraNikon Z9Lens800mmAperturef/8Shutter1/2000ISO1800

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A Cayuga Duck, the glossy black domestic Mallard breed, in Lago Vista.

About the Cayuga Duck

The Cayuga Duck is a domestic breed of Mallard, developed in the 1800s in the Cayuga Lake region of New York. It is solid black, and in good light the feathers flash a deep beetle-green sheen. Older birds often pick up white feathers as they age.

Like most domestic ducks, the Cayuga is heavier than a wild Mallard and doesn't fly much. It is known for being calm and hardy, and for laying eggs that start out nearly black early in the season and fade to gray or white as the season goes on.

Domestic ducks like this turn up on park ponds and lakeshores around Central Texas, usually released or escaped birds living alongside wild ducks. This one was photographed in Lago Vista on Lake Travis on October 16, 2026.

Want to see a Cayuga Duck in the wild?
Join one of my guided birding tours! Fine art prints of my photos are also available.

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