Northern Pintail vs American Black Duck
Anas acuta compared with Anas rubripes
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Northern Pintail | American Black Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas acuta | Anas rubripes |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 51.3 cm (20.2 in) | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) |
| Weight | 912.75 g (32.20 oz) | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) |
| Diet | Eats molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates; dives in shallow water; diet dominated by hard-shelled benthic … | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … |
| Clutch Size | 3-12 | 1-17 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Northern Pintail only
American Black Duck only
Northern Pintail
Breeds on shallow prairie wetlands, tundra ponds, and arctic meadows. Winters on coastal estuaries, lagoons, rice paddies, and agricultural fields across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North America. Highly migratory.
American Black Duck
Freshwater and brackish wetlands in eastern North America from Atlantic Canada south along the coast to Georgia. Breeds in northern bogs and wetlands. Winters on coastal marshes, estuaries, and freshwater lakes.
Song & Call Comparison
Northern Pintail
Male produces a low, mellow whistle; female gives a hoarse, nasal quack. The male's soft, flute-like call is one of the most distinctive sounds of northern wetlands in spring.
American Black Duck
Female produces a loud, deep quacking series; male gives a low, raspy grunt. Voice is deeper and huskier than a Mallard; pairs call powerfully across northeastern North American wetlands.
Geographic Range & Migration
Northern Pintail
Breeds in Arctic Canada, Alaska, and Greenland; winters along the coasts of the North Atlantic from Labrador to West Africa.
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Conservation Status
Northern Pintail
American Black Duck
How to Tell Them Apart
Northern Pintail
Breeding males have chocolate-brown head; white neck stripe extending to breast; gray flanks with long pointed central tail feathers. Females mottled brown with pointed tail and gray bill. Elegant and …
American Black Duck
Sooty dark brown body; head and neck paler buff with dark streaking. Iridescent purple speculum without white border. Males have yellow-green bill; females olive with orange blotches. Silvery underwings in …
About These Birds
Northern Pintail
A large elegant dabbling duck with a long slender neck. Males have a chocolate-brown head, white underparts and neck stripe, fine grey body, and dramatically long central tail feathers. Highly migratory; one of the world's most abundant ducks. Breeds in Arctic and subarctic regions worldwide.
American Black Duck
A large dark brown dabbling duck closely resembling a very dark female Mallard, with purple speculum, yellowish-olive bill in males, and orange legs. Common in eastern North America. Hybridizes freely with Mallard; pure populations declining in the interior.