African Black Duck vs Madagascar Pochard
Anas sparsa compared with Aythya innotata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | African Black Duck | Madagascar Pochard |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas sparsa | Aythya innotata |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Critically Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 49.5 cm (19.5 in) | 37.4 cm (14.7 in) |
| Weight | 996.8333333333334 g (35.16 oz) | 685.0 g (24.16 oz) |
| Diet | Eats molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet heavier in … | Eats molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates; dives in shallow coastal and freshwater habitats. |
| Clutch Size | 4-9 | 6-10 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
African Black Duck
Fast-flowing rocky rivers and streams, mountain gorges, and waterfalls from sea level to 4,000 m across sub-Saharan Africa from Ethiopia and Kenya south to the Cape. Requires clear turbulent water with boulders.
Madagascar Pochard
Restricted to Lake Matsaborimena in the highlands of northern Madagascar at about 1,500 m altitude. Uses deep-water mountain lakes with aquatic vegetation. Critically Endangered; tiny wild population.
Song & Call Comparison
African Black Duck
Produces a harsh, resonant quacking call; alarm is a loud, emphatic quack repeated rapidly. Both sexes call with strong quacking; pairs duet with synchronized calls along African rivers.
Madagascar Pochard
Critically Endangered; produces a soft, Aythya-like purring and grating quacking. Calls are not well-documented; likely similar to closely related Ferruginous Duck based on phylogeny.
Geographic Range & Migration
African Black Duck
Resident across South and Southeast Asia, from India to southern China and the Philippines. Non-migratory in most of its range.
Madagascar Pochard
Breeds across the northern boreal zone of Canada and Alaska; winters along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America.
Conservation Status
African Black Duck
Madagascar Pochard
How to Tell Them Apart
African Black Duck
Dark blackish-brown plumage with bold white spots on back and scapulars. Iridescent blue-green speculum with white borders. Head dark with pale spots. Bill and legs dark gray. Sexes similar. Fast-flowing …
Madagascar Pochard
Males have brown head and neck; dark brown back; pale gray flanks with white undertail. White eye. Blue-gray bill. Females browner with pale face patch and brown eye. Critically endangered; …
About These Birds
African Black Duck
A medium-sized dark brown duck with white spots on the back, a dark bill, and orange legs. Found along fast-flowing rocky rivers and streams in Africa. Territorial and monogamous; pairs defend stretches of river. Related to Pacific Black Duck.
Madagascar Pochard
One of the world's rarest ducks; considered possibly extinct until 2006 rediscovery. A small brown pochard with a white eye in males. Found on an extremely small highland lake in Madagascar. Critically Endangered; intensive conservation efforts underway to save the tiny wild population.