American Black Duck vs Siberian Scoter
Anas rubripes compared with Melanitta stejnegeri
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Siberian Scoter |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Melanitta stejnegeri |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 1267.5 g (44.71 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Dives for bivalves, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates in coastal East Asian waters. Diet similar to … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 6-9 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
American Black Duck only
Siberian Scoter only
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
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.
Siberian Scoter
Male emits a soft, piping whistle; female produces a guttural, grating call. Voice resembles White-winged Scoter; heard during winter on East Asian coasts and large inland seas.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Siberian Scoter
Breeds in boreal forests and tundra of central and eastern Siberia. Winters along the coasts of Japan, Korea, and northeastern China.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Siberian Scoter
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 …
Siberian Scoter
Male is uniformly black with white secondaries forming wing patch; orange-yellow bill has large black knob at base and pale yellow tip. Female dark brown with paler facial patches and …
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.
Siberian Scoter
A medium-large sea duck (~1.3 kg) of family Anatidae, closely related to White-winged Scoter and endemic to eastern Siberia and northeastern Asia. Breeds near boreal lakes and winters in coastal seas of East Asia. Feeds by diving for benthic mollusks and crustaceans. Least Concern; recently split from White-winged Scoter as a distinct species.