American Black Duck vs Maccoa Duck
Anas rubripes compared with Oxyura maccoa
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Maccoa Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Oxyura maccoa |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 31.3 cm (12.3 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 685.3333333333334 g (24.17 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Dives for aquatic invertebrates and plant seeds in African lakes and marshes. Uses lobed feet … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 4-12 |
| 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.
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.
Maccoa Duck
Male emits a rapid, staccato drumming display; female gives a harsh, emphatic quack. The drumming call is powerful and diagnostic; this endangered southern African stiff-tail displays at dawn.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Maccoa Duck
Resident in eastern and southern Africa from Ethiopia and Kenya south to the Cape. Found on lakes and marshes with dense aquatic vegetation.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Maccoa 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 …
Maccoa Duck
Male has glossy black head, deep chestnut-red body, and vivid sky-blue bill; stiff tail often cocked. Female is dark brown above with streaked buff below and two pale facial stripes …
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.
Maccoa Duck
A stiff-tailed diving duck (~685 g) of sub-Saharan Africa, family Anatidae, males chestnut-bodied with a blue bill. Inhabits large, deep freshwater lakes and dams in eastern and southern Africa. Dives for aquatic invertebrates and vegetation. Endangered due to small, fragmented populations, habitat loss from wetland drainage, and competition with introduced species.