Yellow-billed Teal vs American Black Duck
Anas flavirostris compared with Anas rubripes
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Yellow-billed Teal | American Black Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas flavirostris | Anas rubripes |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 38.2 cm (15.0 in) | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) |
| Weight | 609.0 g (21.48 oz) | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) |
| Diet | -- | -- |
| Clutch Size | 5-13 | 1-17 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Yellow-billed Teal only
American Black Duck only
Yellow-billed Teal
Freshwater lakes, marshes, rivers, and bogs from sea level to 4,500 m across South America from Colombia and Venezuela south to Tierra del Fuego. Common at high-altitude Andean lakes and puna wetlands.
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
Yellow-billed Teal
Male utters a high-pitched, clear whistle; female gives a soft, muffled quack. Quiet calls suit the high-altitude Andean wetlands where this teal forages in shallow freshwater.
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.
Conservation Status
Yellow-billed Teal
American Black Duck
How to Tell Them Apart
Yellow-billed Teal
Brownish-gray body finely mottled with dark spots. Diagnostic bright yellow bill with dark culmen stripe. Speculum iridescent green. Head grayish-brown, slightly darker crown. Sexes similar. Andean and Patagonian lakes.
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
Yellow-billed Teal
A small brown teal with a distinctive bright yellow bill, dark crown, green speculum with white borders, and orange legs. Widespread in South American highland and lowland wetlands. One of the most common ducks in the Andes. Gregarious; forms large flocks outside breeding season.
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.