American Black Duck vs Red-crested Pochard
Anas rubripes compared with Netta rufina
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Red-crested Pochard |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Netta rufina |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 51.7 cm (20.4 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 1087.5 g (38.36 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Dives for molluscs and aquatic invertebrates in coastal habitats; diet dominated by hard-shelled benthic invertebrates. |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 6-14 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
American Black Duck only
Red-crested Pochard only
None
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.
Red-crested Pochard
Large freshwater and brackish lakes, reservoirs, river deltas, and coastal lagoons across southern Europe and Central Asia. Winters on large open water bodies in southern Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia.
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.
Red-crested Pochard
Male emits a harsh, rasping errr note; female gives a loud, quacking series. The raspy male call is distinctive among pochards; alarm is an emphatic, repeated series on Eurasian lakes.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Red-crested Pochard
Breeds across Arctic and subarctic North America; winters broadly across the interior and coastal United States.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Red-crested 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 …
Red-crested Pochard
Males have rounded orange-rufous head with bright red bill; black breast, neck and undertail; white flanks; brown back. Females dark brown with pale cheeks. Bold white wing stripe in flight. …
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.
Red-crested Pochard
A large handsome diving duck. Males have a magnificent orange-red rounded head, scarlet bill, black breast and rear, and white flanks; females are brown with contrasting pale cheek. Dives and dabbles for aquatic vegetation. Found across southern Eurasia.