Mexican Duck vs American Black Duck
Anas diazi compared with Anas rubripes
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Mexican Duck | American Black Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas diazi | Anas rubripes |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Not Evaluated | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | — | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) |
| Weight | 1003.75 g (35.41 oz) | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish, molluscs, and aquatic invertebrates; dives in fresh and salt water; diet shifts between … | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … |
| Clutch Size | 1-13 | 1-17 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Mexican Duck only
American Black Duck only
Mexican Duck
Freshwater lakes, marshes, and rivers at 1,000–2,500 m in the highlands of Mexico and the southwestern United States. Uses agricultural ponds and irrigation canals.
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
Mexican Duck
Female gives a Mallard-like, descending quacking series; male utters a soft, nasal grunt. Vocalizations essentially identical to Mallard; found in Mexican interior wetlands and the Rio Grande.
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
Mexican Duck
Breeds in central and eastern Siberia; winters in East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the East African coast.
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Conservation Status
Mexican Duck
American Black Duck
How to Tell Them Apart
Mexican Duck
Similar to Mottled Duck; mottled brown plumage with pale buff head showing dark crown and eye stripe. Iridescent blue-purple speculum with white borders. Yellow-orange bill. Both sexes similar. SW USA …
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
Mexican Duck
A large dabbling duck resembling a female Mallard with an olive-green bill, blue speculum, and orange-yellow legs. Found in highland lakes and marshes of Mexico and the southwestern United States. Often considered a Mallard subspecies; sometimes treated as distinct due to limited hybridization.
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.