American Black Duck vs Coscoroba Swan
Anas rubripes compared with Coscoroba coscoroba
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Coscoroba Swan |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Coscoroba coscoroba |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 84.2 cm (33.1 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 4200.0 g (148.15 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Eats seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; dabbles and upends in shallow water; diet more invertebrate-heavy … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 4-9 |
| 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.
Coscoroba Swan
Freshwater lakes, marshes, lagoons, and flooded grasslands from southern Brazil through Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina to Tierra del Fuego. Partially migratory; moves northward in winter. Nests in reedy margins.
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.
Coscoroba Swan
A bugling, honking 'coscoroba' call — giving the species its onomatopoeic name. Loud and far-carrying. Less commonly heard than northern hemisphere swans.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Coscoroba Swan
Breeds in western North American prairies and parklands; winters in California, the Southwest, and northern Mexico.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Coscoroba Swan
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 …
Coscoroba Swan
Entirely white plumage except black wingtips visible in flight. Bright red bill and red legs and feet. Red eye-ring. More goose-like than true swans. Juvenile has brownish wash. Sexes similar.
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.
Coscoroba Swan
The smallest swan and the only member of its genus, differing from true swans with a more goose-like head, red-pink bill and legs, and all-white plumage with black wingtips. Found in southern South America. Swims gracefully and grazes shoreline vegetation. Loud coscoroba call is distinctive.