American Black Duck vs Ringed Teal
Anas rubripes compared with Callonetta leucophrys
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Ringed Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Callonetta leucophrys |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 33.8 cm (13.3 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 345.0 g (12.17 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Eats seeds, plant material, and aquatic invertebrates; filter-feeds in shallow water; broadly omnivorous and seasonally … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 6-12 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
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.
Ringed Teal
Subtropical forests, gallery woodlands, and wooded wetland margins in Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. Nests in tree hollows near water. Requires forested streams and rivers.
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.
Ringed Teal
Male utters a soft, high-pitched squeak; female gives a low, grunting kow note. Courtship involves quiet twittering exchanges between pairs in South American gallery forests.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Ringed Teal
Breeds in the southern Palearctic from the Iberian Peninsula to Central Asia; winters mainly in sub-Saharan Africa.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Ringed Teal
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 …
Ringed Teal
Males have gray head with black crown; pink breast with black spots; chestnut back; buff-white flanks with fine barring. White facial blaze. Females brown with pale supercilium and white spots …
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.
Ringed Teal
A small ornate teal. Males have a pink-chestnut breast, grey flanks, and grey-brown back with dark green speculum; females are brown with distinctive white eye-ring and spotted flanks. Found in subtropical forests of South America. Nests in tree cavities. Perches and roosts in trees.