Mottled Duck vs Brent Goose
Anas fulvigula compared with Branta bernicla
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Mottled Duck | Brent Goose |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas fulvigula | Branta bernicla |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 48.9 cm (19.3 in) | 63.9 cm (25.2 in) |
| Weight | 1027.5 g (36.24 oz) | 1335.0 g (47.09 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Primarily herbivorous; grazes aquatic plants, grasses, and sedges; swans upend in shallow water for submerged … |
| Clutch Size | 9-13 | 1-10 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
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.
Brent Goose
Breeds on high-Arctic tundra; winters on estuaries, coastal mudflats, saltmarshes, and sea-grass beds along Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. One of the most strictly coastal wintering geese.
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.
Brent Goose
A low, guttural 'rronk' or 'ronk-ronk' from flocks. Soft nasal calls in feeding groups. A subtle, understated call for a goose — less loud than most Anser geese.
Geographic Range & Migration
Mottled Duck
Brent Goose
Breeds across boreal and subarctic Canada and Alaska; winters in the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America.
Conservation Status
Mottled Duck
Brent Goose
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 …
Brent Goose
Small; mostly black head, neck, and breast. Small white neck-patch on adults. Back dark brownish-gray; belly pale gray to white depending on subspecies. White undertail coverts. Sexes similar.
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.
Brent Goose
A small dark-bodied goose with a black head and neck, small white neck patches, and pale grey belly. Migrates between high-Arctic breeding grounds and temperate coastal wintering areas. Feeds on eel-grass and saltmarsh vegetation in winter. Three subspecies differ in belly coloration.