American Black Duck vs Eastern Spot-billed Duck
Anas rubripes compared with Anas zonorhyncha
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Eastern Spot-billed Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Anas zonorhyncha |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 53.6 cm (21.1 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 1017.5 g (35.89 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Eats fish, aquatic invertebrates, and amphibians; dives in freshwater rivers; serrated bill grips prey; fish … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 7-9 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
American Black Duck only
Eastern Spot-billed 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.
Eastern Spot-billed Duck
Freshwater lakes, rivers, marshes, and rice paddies in northeastern Asia from eastern Russia and Siberia through China, Korea, and Japan. Winters in southern China and southern Japan.
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.
Eastern Spot-billed Duck
Female produces a loud, descending quacking series; male gives a low, nasal grunt. Vocalizations closely resemble the Indian Spot-billed Duck; pairs call antiphonally on East Asian wetlands.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Eastern Spot-billed Duck
Found in wetlands across Southeast Asia, from India to China, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Largely resident; local seasonal movements.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Eastern Spot-billed 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 …
Eastern Spot-billed Duck
Brown body with pale buff face and throat; dark crown and eye stripe. Yellow-tipped black bill lacking the red spot of Indian Spot-billed Duck. Iridescent green speculum with white border. …
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.
Eastern Spot-billed Duck
A large brown dabbling duck with a yellow-tipped black bill, without the red spot of its Indian relative, and a green speculum. Found across northeastern Asia. Partially migratory; breeds in northern China, Korea, and Siberia; winters farther south and east.