American Black Duck vs Pacific Black Duck
Anas rubripes compared with Anas superciliosa
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Pacific Black Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Anas superciliosa |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 50.2 cm (19.8 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 1000.5 g (35.29 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Dives for fish and aquatic invertebrates; serrated bill adapted for gripping prey; diet varies with … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 3-15 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
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.
Pacific Black Duck
Freshwater and brackish wetlands across Australasia and the Pacific Islands, from freshwater lakes and rivers to coastal estuaries, mangroves, and irrigated agricultural areas. Highly adaptable to human-modified landscapes.
Song & Call Comparison
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.
Pacific Black Duck
Female gives a loud, emphatic quacking series; male utters a soft quip note. Common call is a loud, repeated quack; alarm is an insistent, rattling quacking burst.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Pacific Black Duck
Found across sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar; locally sedentary in freshwater lakes and rivers year-round.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Pacific Black Duck
How to Tell Them Apart
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 …
Pacific Black Duck
Brownish-black body with pale buff feather edges giving scaly appearance. Bold pale buff supercilium and dark eye-stripe and crown stripe on paler face. Iridescent green speculum. Gray bill; orange legs. …
About These Birds
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.
Pacific Black Duck
A large brown dabbling duck with a distinctive bold head pattern: dark crown, buff cheeks with two dark stripes, and a green speculum. The Mallard equivalent in Australasia. Widespread and common in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, and Pacific islands. Very tolerant of human presence.