American Black Duck vs Northern Shoveler
Anas rubripes compared with Spatula clypeata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Northern Shoveler |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Spatula clypeata |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 45.3 cm (17.8 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 631.5 g (22.28 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Eats seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; dabbles in wetlands; broadly omnivorous diet shifts with season … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 5-14 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
American Black Duck only
Northern Shoveler 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.
Northern Shoveler
Breeds on freshwater prairie ponds, marshes, and lake margins across Eurasia and North America. Winters on coastal lagoons, estuaries, freshwater lakes, and rice paddies in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
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.
Northern Shoveler
Male gives a low, hollow took-took call; female produces a laughing, descending quacking series. Courtship includes head-bobbing displays accompanied by quiet nasal grunting calls.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Northern Shoveler
Breeds across sub-Arctic and boreal Eurasia; winters from the British Isles to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Northern Shoveler
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 …
Northern Shoveler
Breeding males have iridescent green head, white breast, and rufous-chestnut flanks. Yellow eye. Pale blue forewing and green speculum. Females mottled brown. Massive spatulate bill unique among ducks. Dimorphic.
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.
Northern Shoveler
A medium-sized duck with a dramatically large spatula-shaped bill perfectly adapted for filter-feeding. Males have an iridescent green head, white breast, chestnut flanks, and sky-blue wing patches. Highly migratory; one of the Northern Hemisphere's most widespread ducks.