American Black Duck vs Cape Shoveler
Anas rubripes compared with Spatula smithii
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Cape Shoveler |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Spatula smithii |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 45.8 cm (18.0 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 629.75 g (22.21 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Eats seeds, plant matter, and aquatic invertebrates; dabbles in shallow ponds; diet more invertebrate-rich in … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 5-12 |
| 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.
Cape Shoveler
Freshwater and saline lakes, estuaries, and wetlands across southern Africa from Zimbabwe south to the Cape. Most common on the Western Cape. Tolerates saline habitats better than most ducks.
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.
Cape Shoveler
Male utters a low, grunting tok note; female produces a series of soft quacks. Pairs vocalize quietly at Cape wetlands; female's quacking call is louder and more emphatic than male's.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Cape Shoveler
Breeds in sub-Arctic wetlands of Eurasia; winters on lakes and reservoirs from western Europe to eastern China and Japan.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Cape 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 …
Cape Shoveler
Dull olive-brown body mottled dark; males slightly paler with yellow-orange eye. Pale blue-gray forewing and green speculum in flight. Long spatulate bill dark. Orange-yellow legs. Sexes similar. South African endemic.
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.
Cape Shoveler
A medium-sized shoveler with a characteristic large spatula-shaped bill. Males have yellow-orange eyes, brown head, and spotted brownish body; females are mottled brown. Endemic to southern Africa. Found mainly on the Western Cape's lakes and saline pans.