Black Swan vs Comb Duck
Cygnus atratus compared with Sarkidiornis sylvicola
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black Swan | Comb Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cygnus atratus | Sarkidiornis sylvicola |
| 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) | 60.9 cm (24.0 in) |
| Weight | 6200.0 g (218.70 oz) | 1817.5 g (64.11 oz) |
| Diet | Aquatic vegetation and algae, supplemented with grain and pasture grasses. Feeds by upending in shallow … | Feeds on seeds, plant material, and invertebrates; dabbles and sifts shallow water; diet varies widely … |
| Clutch Size | 4-6 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Black Swan
Lakes, rivers, swamps, and coastal waters across Australia. Also found in ornamental lakes in parks.
Comb Duck
Freshwater lakes, rivers, flooded savannas, and seasonally inundated forest in lowland tropical South America from Panama south to Bolivia, Brazil, and northern Argentina. Nests in tree cavities near permanent water.
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.
Comb Duck
A soft, nasal 'wuk-wuk' call. Both sexes give similar quiet calls. Generally a less vocal duck than most waterfowl. Gives a rattling wingbeat sound during flight.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black Swan
Australia, primarily in the southeast and southwest. Introduced populations in New Zealand, Japan, and western Europe.
Comb Duck
Breeds in the prairie pothole region of central North America; winters along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico.
Conservation Status
Black Swan
Comb 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
Comb Duck
Males have white head densely spotted black; black back with blue-green iridescence; white underparts with gray flanks. Prominent black fleshy knob on bill. Females smaller, duller, lack knob. South American.
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.
Comb Duck
A large pied duck with a black-and-white body and, in males, a large black knob on the upper mandible during breeding season. The New World Comb Duck found from Panama to northern Argentina. Nests in tree cavities near lakes. Feeds by dabbling and grazing in wetland margins.