Wandering Whistling-duck vs Crested Shelduck

Dendrocygna arcuata مقارنةً بـ Tadorna cristata

Side-by-Side Comparison

السمة Wandering Whistling-duck Crested Shelduck
الاسم العلمي Dendrocygna arcuata Tadorna cristata
الرتبة Anseriformes Anseriformes
الفصيلة Anatidae Anatidae
حالة الحفاظ Least Concern Critically Endangered
الطول
طول الجناح 37,2 cm (14.6 in) 59,8 cm (23.5 in)
الوزن 779,5 g (27.50 oz) 1235,0 g (43.56 oz)
النظام الغذائي Eats grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants in tundra; winter diet of coastal salt marsh grasses … --
عدد البيض في الوضع 6-15 10
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

الموائل المشتركة

Wandering Whistling-duck only

بلا

Crested Shelduck only

بلا

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.

Crested Shelduck

Historically known from coastal Korea, Siberia, and possibly Japan. Habitat preferences poorly known; specimens were collected near coasts and rivers. Possibly extinct.

Song & Call Comparison

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.

Crested Shelduck

الغناء

Critically endangered; last confirmed sightings in 1971. No vocalizations reliably recorded. Presumed similar to related shelducks based on phylogeny but effectively unknown.

Geographic Range & Migration

Wandering Whistling-duck

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

Crested Shelduck

حالة الحفاظ

Least Concern

Wandering Whistling-duck

Critically Endangered

Crested Shelduck

How to Tell Them Apart

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.

Crested Shelduck

الريش

Critically rare; known from few specimens. Males dark green head with bushy crest; black and white body with chestnut flanks. Females have white facial markings and brown-barred body. Possibly extinct; …

About These Birds

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.

Crested Shelduck

A mysterious possibly extinct shelduck known from only a handful of specimens collected in Korea and Siberia before 1916. Males had a black head with green sheen, white crest, and colorful body. No confirmed sightings since 1971. Possibly on the edge of extinction or already extinct.

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