Black Swan vs Pink-headed Duck
Cygnus atratus compared with Rhodonessa caryophyllacea
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black Swan | Pink-headed Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cygnus atratus | Rhodonessa caryophyllacea |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Critically Endangered |
| Length | 130.0 cm (51.2 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 190.0 cm (74.8 in) | 50.2 cm (19.8 in) |
| Weight | 6200.0 g (218.70 oz) | 963.8 g (34.00 oz) |
| Diet | Aquatic vegetation and algae, supplemented with grain and pasture grasses. Feeds by upending in shallow … | -- |
| Clutch Size | 4-6 | 5-10 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Black Swan
Lakes, rivers, swamps, and coastal waters across Australia. Also found in ornamental lakes in parks.
Pink-headed Duck
Historically inhabited secluded freshwater pools, lakes, and marshes in tall grass and forest in the Ganges and Brahmaputra plains of India, Nepal, and Myanmar. Now possibly extinct or extremely rare.
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.
Pink-headed Duck
Critically Endangered; likely gives a soft, resonant quacking note judging from close relatives. The Pink-headed Duck may have produced a distinctive, mellow whistle unlike other pochards.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black Swan
Australia, primarily in the southeast and southwest. Introduced populations in New Zealand, Japan, and western Europe.
Pink-headed Duck
Conservation Status
Black Swan
Pink-headed 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
Pink-headed Duck
Unmistakable; males have strikingly bright pink head and neck contrasting with dark chocolate-brown body and wings. Pink bill. Females have paler pink head. Possibly extinct; last confirmed 1949. Critically endangered …
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.
Pink-headed Duck
Possibly extinct; a distinctive large diving duck formerly found in the Ganges plains of India and Myanmar. Males had a deep pink head and neck contrasting with dark chocolate-brown body. Last confirmed sightings in the 1940s. One of Asia's greatest bird mysteries.