Mallard vs Spectacled Eider
Anas platyrhynchos مقارنةً بـ Somateria fischeri
Side-by-Side Comparison
| السمة | Mallard | Spectacled Eider |
|---|---|---|
| الاسم العلمي | Anas platyrhynchos | Somateria fischeri |
| الرتبة | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| الفصيلة | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| حالة الحفاظ | Least Concern | Near Threatened |
| الطول | 58,0 cm (22.8 in) | — |
| طول الجناح | 90,0 cm (35.4 in) | 49,2 cm (19.4 in) |
| الوزن | 1100,0 g (38.80 oz) | 1443,75 g (50.93 oz) |
| النظام الغذائي | Omnivorous — aquatic plants, seeds, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. Feeds by dabbling, upending, and grazing … | Dives for bivalves, crustaceans, and aquatic insects in shallow Arctic coastal and freshwater habitats. Insects … |
| عدد البيض في الوضع | 4-18 | 1-9 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Mallard
Nearly any wetland habitat including lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes, estuaries, and urban park ponds.
Song & Call Comparison
Mallard
Female gives the classic 'quack-quack-quack', descending in pitch. Male utters soft nasal 'raeb-raeb'. Both give a high 'gag-gag-gag' when alarmed or taking flight.
Spectacled Eider
Male gives a low, melodious aah-ooo cooing; female produces a guttural, grunting call. The male's ghostly, organ-like cooing call carries across Arctic tundra ponds in the breeding season.
Geographic Range & Migration
Mallard
Native across the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe, and Asia. Introduced to Australia and New Zealand.
Spectacled Eider
Breeds on coastal tundra of western and northern Alaska. Winters along the Bering Sea coast from Alaska to Kamchatka. Largely sedentary.
حالة الحفاظ
Mallard
Spectacled Eider
How to Tell Them Apart
Mallard
Breeding males have an iridescent green head, white neck ring, chestnut breast, and grey body. Females are mottled brown. Both sexes show a blue speculum bordered by white.
Broad, flat bill — yellow-green in males, orange-brown in females
Spectacled Eider
Male has white back and black breast with pale sage-green head framed by large white goggle-like spectacles edged black. Female mottled tawny-brown with faint spectacle outline.
About These Birds
Mallard
The mallard is the ancestor of most domestic duck breeds and the most abundant and widespread dabbling duck in the world. Males perform elaborate courtship displays including head-bobbing and whistle-grunt calls. Mallards are highly adaptable, thriving in both wilderness and urban environments.
Spectacled Eider
A medium-large sea duck of the family Anatidae, weighing ~1.4 kg with distinctive pale green goggles in males. Breeds on Arctic tundra of Alaska and Russia; winters in pack ice of the Bering Sea. Dives for benthic invertebrates and mollusks. Near Threatened due to population declines linked to lead poisoning and habitat change.