Black Swan vs Puna Teal
Cygnus atratus compared with Spatula puna
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Black Swan | Puna Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cygnus atratus | Spatula puna |
| 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) | 42.8 cm (16.9 in) |
| Weight | 6200.0 g (218.70 oz) | 507.75 g (17.91 oz) |
| Diet | Aquatic vegetation and algae, supplemented with grain and pasture grasses. Feeds by upending in shallow … | Eats seeds and aquatic invertebrates; dabbles in shallow freshwater; diet more invertebrate-heavy in spring breeding … |
| Clutch Size | 4-6 | 5-6 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Black Swan
Lakes, rivers, swamps, and coastal waters across Australia. Also found in ornamental lakes in parks.
Puna Teal
High-altitude lakes, salars, and marshy bogs on the puna and altiplano at 3,500–5,000 m in Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and northwestern Argentina. Associated with brackish and freshwater high-altitude wetlands.
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.
Puna Teal
Male gives a clear, high whistle; female responds with a soft, descending quack. The clean whistled note carries distinctly across high-altitude Andean wetlands and salt lakes.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black Swan
Australia, primarily in the southeast and southwest. Introduced populations in New Zealand, Japan, and western Europe.
Puna Teal
Breeds in sub-Arctic and boreal Eurasia; winters on temperate coastlines and large lakes of Europe and Asia.
Conservation Status
Black Swan
Puna Teal
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
Puna Teal
Pale gray body finely vermiculated. Black cap extending to nape contrasting with white face and throat. Bright pale blue bill. Blue forewing patch in flight; green speculum. Sexes similar. High …
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.
Puna Teal
A medium-sized pale grey teal with a distinctive blue-grey bill, dark cap, and black-and-white back pattern. Restricted to high Andean wetlands. Found in large flocks on puna lakes and salars. Closely related to Silver Teal; sometimes treated as conspecific.