12/03/2025
Since this is a hot topic on the news for the last few days, let's break some things down...and educate ourselves on the invasive Muscovy duck.
Muscovy ducks in Texas create issues due to their large population of feral birds, which results in problems like excessive waste on property, damage to gardens, potential disease transmission, competition with native wildlife, and conflicts between residents over how to manage them. These issues have led some cities to authorize lethal control methods and residents to use both official and unofficial strategies to deal with the population.
+++Property damage and nuisance+++
Waste and mess: The ducks produce a large amount of f***s, which can cover driveways, sidewalks, and porches, leading to daily clean-up for residents.
Garden and landscape destruction: They can eat and trample plants, uproot gardens, and damage landscaping.
Property damage: Some residents report property damage, such as bird droppings damaging car paint and windshields.
+++Ecological and health concerns+++
Invasive species: Feral Muscovy ducks are considered an invasive species in many parts of Texas because they can outcompete native waterfowl for food and habitat.
Disease risk: They can carry diseases that may be transmitted to other animals or, in some cases, to humans.
Feeding: Residents feeding the ducks exacerbates the problem by increasing the population and encouraging their presence in neighborhoods.
City and HOA responses: Some cities and homeowners' associations (HOAs) have tried to manage the problem through public education, restrictions on feeding, and authorized population control measures, such as reducing the number of eggs that hatch or, in some cases, using lethal methods.
The real issue most residents have is the methods of control companies use...and HAVE to use. When dealing with these ducks, we deal with very large numbers of ducks. With that said, the options for control are limited. There are 2 humane methods of control, but they are often the most controversial. The most efgevtive method, and often the quickest, is to use pellet air rifles. Usually 4-5 wildlife control technicians meet at a certain pond and work that pond for several hours, over a week or two, to reduce the numbers. As you can imagine, residents don't like this method. The other humane method for control is trapping. To do this, wildlife removal technicians have to build custom traps large enough to hold 20-30 of these ducks several days before the actual trapping occurs. Food is placed inside and the technician waits for the right time to lower the door, trapping the ducks inside the trap. Once that happens, the technician has to climb inside the trap and transfer the ducks into smaller traps for transport. The ducks then have to be taken to a location to be humanely euthanized. Because these are an invasive species to Texas, relocation is not allowed. I have personal experience with residents destroying the trap after it has been constructed because they don't agree with what is happening. The major issue with that is the fact that the HOA, or city, has hired the professional and paid for the removal. I have had to contact the police for these trapping days, and utilize game cameras to determine who is destroying property.
Please, educate yourself on the nuisance these animals are before confrontinganyone trying to reduce the insane population, and definitely don't destroy anything these wildlife removal technicians are using to reduce the population.
Concerned residents in Fort Bend County turned to ABC13, upset by what's being done to control the duck population in Cinco Ranch.
