Black Swan vs Falcated Duck
Cygnus atratus compared with Mareca falcata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black Swan | Falcated Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cygnus atratus | Mareca falcata |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 130.0 cm (51.2 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 190.0 cm (74.8 in) | 47.7 cm (18.8 in) |
| Weight | 6200.0 g (218.70 oz) | 620.5 g (21.89 oz) |
| Diet | Aquatic vegetation and algae, supplemented with grain and pasture grasses. Feeds by upending in shallow … | Eats seeds, plant material, and aquatic invertebrates; filter-feeds in shallow water; omnivorous diet varies with … |
| Clutch Size | 4-6 | 6-10 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Black Swan
Lakes, rivers, swamps, and coastal waters across Australia. Also found in ornamental lakes in parks.
Falcated Duck
Breeds along rivers and lake shores in Siberian taiga and meadows. Winters on freshwater lakes and rivers in China, Japan, and South Korea. Sensitive to hunting pressure and wetland drainage.
Song & Call Comparison
Black Swan
Gives a musical bugling 'boo-boo-boo' in flight and softer honking on water. Less vocal than Mute Swan; produces a baying call when alarmed. Wings whistle softly in flight.
Falcated Duck
Male gives a soft, whistled whi-ooo note; female produces a low, grunting quack. The male's haunting whistle is one of the more melodic sounds of East Asian wetlands in winter.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black Swan
Australia, primarily in the southeast and southwest. Introduced populations in New Zealand, Japan, and western Europe.
Falcated Duck
Nomadic across the interior wetlands of Australia; moves widely in response to flooding and drought conditions.
Conservation Status
Black Swan
Falcated Duck
How to Tell Them Apart
Black Swan
Almost entirely black with white flight feathers visible in flight. Red bill with a white band near the tip. Dark red to reddish-brown iris.
Bright red bill with a pale tip and prominent white band
Falcated Duck
Males have iridescent green-and-chestnut head with bushy drooping crest. Pale gray body with black and white breast band. Long, sickle-shaped tertials overhang tail. Females mottled brown. Spectacular dimorphism.
About These Birds
Black Swan
The black swan was once considered impossible by Europeans who believed all swans were white, making it a famous philosophical example of inductive reasoning failure. It is the state emblem of Western Australia. Black swans form lifelong pair bonds and both parents share in incubation and care of cygnets.
Falcated Duck
An elegant duck. Males have a large chestnut-and-green crested head, long drooping tertial feathers, and finely vermiculated grey body. One of Asia's most beautiful ducks; declining due to hunting. Breeds in Siberia and northeastern Asia; winters in East and Southeast Asia.