American Black Duck vs Madagascar Pochard
Anas rubripes compared with Aythya innotata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Madagascar Pochard |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Aythya innotata |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Critically Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 37.4 cm (14.7 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 685.0 g (24.16 oz) |
| Diet | -- | -- |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 6-10 |
| 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.
Madagascar Pochard
Restricted to Lake Matsaborimena in the highlands of northern Madagascar at about 1,500 m altitude. Uses deep-water mountain lakes with aquatic vegetation. Critically Endangered; tiny wild population.
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.
Madagascar Pochard
Critically Endangered; produces a soft, Aythya-like purring and grating quacking. Calls are not well-documented; likely similar to closely related Ferruginous Duck based on phylogeny.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Madagascar Pochard
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 …
Madagascar Pochard
Males have brown head and neck; dark brown back; pale gray flanks with white undertail. White eye. Blue-gray bill. Females browner with pale face patch and brown eye. Critically endangered; …
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.
Madagascar Pochard
One of the world's rarest ducks; considered possibly extinct until 2006 rediscovery. A small brown pochard with a white eye in males. Found on an extremely small highland lake in Madagascar. Critically Endangered; intensive conservation efforts underway to save the tiny wild population.