Reunion Shelduck vs Wandering Whistling-duck

Alopochen kervazoi مقارنةً بـ Dendrocygna arcuata

Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Reunion Shelduck Wandering Whistling-duck
الاسم العلمي Alopochen kervazoi Dendrocygna arcuata
الرتبة Anseriformes Anseriformes
الفصيلة Anatidae Anatidae
حالة الحفاظ Extinct Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 37,2 cm (14.6 in)
الوزن 779,5 g (27.50 oz)
النظام الغذائي -- Eats grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants in tundra; winter diet of coastal salt marsh grasses …
عدد البيض في الوضع -- 6-15
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Reunion Shelduck only

بلا

Wandering Whistling-duck only

بلا

Reunion Shelduck

Historically restricted to Réunion Island in the Mascarene archipelago. Now extinct; last evidence from early colonial period. Presumably inhabited freshwater wetland habitats on the island.

Wandering Whistling-duck

Tropical freshwater marshes, flooded grasslands, swamps, and lake margins from the Philippines and Indonesia through Papua New Guinea to northern and eastern Australia. Nomadic following wet season flooding.

Song & Call Comparison

Reunion Shelduck

الغناء

Extinct (EX); no vocalizations recorded. The Reunion Shelduck was exterminated soon after European contact. No contemporary accounts of its call survive in the historical record.

Wandering Whistling-duck

الغناء

A soft whistle 'whi-whi-whi' in flight. Less vocal than other whistling-ducks; flocks tend to be quieter. Given at dawn and dusk during flight to roosting or feeding areas.

Geographic Range & Migration

Reunion Shelduck

Wandering Whistling-duck

Breeds in Arctic and subarctic regions; winters at sea around the Antarctic pack ice, one of the longest migrations known.

حالة الحفاظ

Extinct

Reunion Shelduck

Least Concern

Wandering Whistling-duck

How to Tell Them Apart

Reunion Shelduck

الريش

Extinct Mascarene species known only from subfossil bones found on Réunion. Plumage unrecorded; presumed similar to Egyptian Goose with brownish-gray tones. Extirpated following European colonization.

Wandering Whistling-duck

الريش

Rich chestnut-brown head and neck; dark brown back. Flanks rufous with pale buff streaks and dark spots. Belly blackish. Long, dark pinkish legs. Upright posture typical of whistling-ducks. Sexes similar.

About These Birds

Reunion Shelduck

An extinct shelduck formerly endemic to Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean. Known only from subfossil bones and brief historical records from the 17th century. Went extinct shortly after European colonization. No illustrations or detailed physical description of the living bird is known.

Wandering Whistling-duck

A medium-sized whistling-duck with rufous-brown body, dark brown back, pale buff underparts, and a chestnut collar. Found in tropical wetlands from Indonesia to Australia and Pacific islands. Highly social and nomadic. Forages by dabbling and diving in shallow freshwater.

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