Greater Scaup vs Wandering Whistling-duck

Aythya marila مقارنةً بـ Dendrocygna arcuata

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Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Greater Scaup Wandering Whistling-duck
الاسم العلمي Aythya marila Dendrocygna arcuata
الرتبة Anseriformes Anseriformes
الفصيلة Anatidae Anatidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Least Concern
الطول
طول الجناح 42,7 cm (16.8 in) 37,2 cm (14.6 in)
الوزن 984,0 g (34.71 oz) 779,5 g (27.50 oz)
النظام الغذائي Eats molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts between invertebrate … Eats grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants in tundra; winter diet of coastal salt marsh grasses …
عدد البيض في الوضع 4-12 6-15
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Greater Scaup only

Wandering Whistling-duck only

بلا

Greater Scaup

Breeds on tundra and boreal lakes in the Arctic and subarctic across Eurasia and North America. Winters in large numbers on coastal bays, estuaries, and large lakes in temperate regions.

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.

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Song & Call Comparison

Greater Scaup

الغناء

Male gives a low, purring wheeze; female produces a harsh, rolling quacking sequence. Calls are very similar to Lesser Scaup but slightly lower-pitched; heard on open ocean bays in winter.

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.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Greater Scaup

Breeds in the high Arctic of North America; winters offshore on the Atlantic coast from Labrador to South Carolina.

Wandering Whistling-duck

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

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حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Greater Scaup

Least Concern

Wandering Whistling-duck

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How to Tell Them Apart

Greater Scaup

الريش

Males have glossy green-black rounded head; white flanks and belly; black breast and undertail; gray back. Yellow eye. Bill blue-gray. Females dark brown with white face patch around bill. Longer …

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.

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About These Birds

Greater Scaup

A medium-sized diving duck. Males have a rounded glossy green-tinged head, white flanks, and black breast; females are brown with white around the bill. Similar to Lesser Scaup but told apart by head shape and nail width. Found on large open water bodies.

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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