Mottled Duck vs Black Swan
Anas fulvigula compared with Cygnus atratus
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Mottled Duck | Black Swan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas fulvigula | Cygnus atratus |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | 130.0 cm (51.2 in) |
| Wingspan | 48.9 cm (19.3 in) | 190.0 cm (74.8 in) |
| Weight | 1027.5 g (36.24 oz) | 6200.0 g (218.70 oz) |
| Diet | Dives for freshwater fish and aquatic invertebrates; saw-edged bill grips prey; diet strongly fish-dominated year-round. | Aquatic vegetation and algae, supplemented with grain and pasture grasses. Feeds by upending in shallow … |
| Clutch Size | 9-13 | 4-6 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Mottled Duck
Coastal freshwater and brackish marshes, wet prairies, and gulf coast wetlands in Florida and along the Gulf of Mexico coast to Texas. Non-migratory year-round resident. Threatened by Mallard hybridization.
Black Swan
Lakes, rivers, swamps, and coastal waters across Australia. Also found in ornamental lakes in parks.
Song & Call Comparison
Mottled Duck
Female gives a loud, Mallard-like quacking series; male produces a soft, nasal note. Alarm call is a rapid, emphatic quacking burst; flocks generate a loud chorus on Gulf Coast marshes.
Black Swan
Gives a musical bugling 'boo-boo-boo' in flight and softer honking on water. Less vocal than Mute Swan; produces a baying call when alarmed. Wings whistle softly in flight.
Geographic Range & Migration
Mottled Duck
Breeds across sub-Arctic and boreal regions of Eurasia; winters in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
Black Swan
Australia, primarily in the southeast and southwest. Introduced populations in New Zealand, Japan, and western Europe.
Conservation Status
Mottled Duck
Black Swan
How to Tell Them Apart
Mottled Duck
Rich mottled brown plumage with buff-edged feathers and pale buff head and throat. Dark crown and eye stripe. Iridescent blue speculum with white border. Yellow-orange bill. Sexes similar. Resembles non-breeding …
Black Swan
Almost entirely black with white flight feathers visible in flight. Red bill with a white band near the tip. Dark red to reddish-brown iris.
Bright red bill with a pale tip and prominent white band
About These Birds
Mottled Duck
A medium-sized buff-brown dabbling duck closely related to the Mallard, with a plain brown body, yellow bill, and blue speculum. Non-migratory; restricted to coastal marshes of Florida and the Gulf Coast. Threatened by hybridization with introduced Mallards in Florida.
Black Swan
The black swan was once considered impossible by Europeans who believed all swans were white, making it a famous philosophical example of inductive reasoning failure. It is the state emblem of Western Australia. Black swans form lifelong pair bonds and both parents share in incubation and care of cygnets.