American Black Duck vs Hartlaub's Duck
Anas rubripes compared with Pteronetta hartlaubii
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Hartlaub's Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Pteronetta hartlaubii |
| 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) | 910.0 g (32.10 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Eats seeds, aquatic invertebrates, and plant matter; dabbles in ponds and marshes; diet more invertebrate-heavy … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 7-11 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
American Black Duck only
None
Hartlaub's Duck 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.
Hartlaub's Duck
Tropical rainforest streams, forest pools, and shaded swamps from Guinea and Sierra Leone east through the Congo Basin to Uganda and western Kenya. Requires undisturbed riverine forest with shaded water.
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.
Hartlaub's Duck
A low, nasal 'quack' and soft 'kek-kek'. Generally quieter than other perching ducks. Calls from dense Central and West African rainforest where it is rarely observed.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Hartlaub's Duck
Breeds in wetlands across Eurasia; winters from Africa and the Middle East to South and Southeast Asia.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Hartlaub's 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 …
Hartlaub's Duck
Dark chocolate-brown body; white patches at side of head distinctive. Males have dark blue frontal shield extending from bill. Wings show pale blue-gray inner forewing. Legs gray. West African forest …
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.
Hartlaub's Duck
A large dark duck with a chestnut-brown body, dark head and neck, pale blue speculum, and bright red base to the bill in males. Found in tropical African rainforest streams and forest swamps. One of Africa's least-studied ducks. Lives singly or in pairs in shaded forest waterways.