American Black Duck vs Puna Teal
Anas rubripes compared with Spatula puna
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Puna Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Spatula puna |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 42.8 cm (16.9 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 507.75 g (17.91 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Eats seeds and aquatic invertebrates; dabbles in shallow freshwater; diet more invertebrate-heavy in spring breeding … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 5-6 |
| 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.
Puna Teal
High-altitude lakes, salars, and marshy bogs on the puna and altiplano at 3,500–5,000 m in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and northwestern Argentina. Associated with brackish and freshwater high-altitude wetlands.
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.
Puna Teal
Male gives a clear, high whistle; female responds with a soft, descending quack. The clean whistled note carries distinctly across high-altitude Andean wetlands and salt 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.
Puna Teal
Breeds in sub-Arctic and boreal Eurasia; winters on temperate coastlines and large lakes of Europe and Asia.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Puna Teal
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 …
Puna Teal
Pale gray body finely vermiculated. Black cap extending to nape contrasting with white face and throat. Bright pale blue bill. Blue forewing patch in flight; green speculum. Sexes similar. High …
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.
Puna Teal
A medium-sized pale grey teal with a distinctive blue-grey bill, dark cap, and black-and-white back pattern. Restricted to high Andean wetlands. Found in large flocks on puna lakes and salars. Closely related to Silver Teal; sometimes treated as conspecific.