Whooper Swan vs Blue-billed Teal
Cygnus cygnus compared with Spatula hottentota
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Whooper Swan | Blue-billed Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Cygnus cygnus | Spatula hottentota |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 116.4 cm (45.8 in) | 29.4 cm (11.6 in) |
| Weight | 10350.0 g (365.09 oz) | 269.2 g (9.50 oz) |
| Diet | Dabbling duck feeding on seeds, aquatic insects, and plant material; forages in shallow wetlands; diet … | Feeds on seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; filter-feeds in shallow water; broadly omnivorous and seasonally … |
| Clutch Size | 2-12 | 5-12 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Whooper Swan only
Blue-billed Teal only
None
Whooper Swan
Breeds on boreal and subarctic lakes and boggy pools from Iceland and Scandinavia across northern Eurasia to Siberia. Winters on large lakes, estuaries, rivers, and agricultural fields in northwestern Europe and eastern Asia.
Blue-billed Teal
Freshwater lakes, marshes, pans, and flooded grasslands across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal and Sudan south to the Cape. Nomadic; follows seasonal rains. Common but easily overlooked among reed beds.
Song & Call Comparison
Whooper Swan
A loud, ringing 'wh-OOH-wh-OOH' bugle. Less high-pitched than Trumpeter; similar to Tundra Swan but deeper. Pairs call in musical antiphony. Carries very far over water.
Blue-billed Teal
Male utters a soft, teal-like peep; female gives a muted quack. Pairs call quietly in dense papyrus; soft contact calls help birds maintain proximity in thick African marsh vegetation.
Geographic Range & Migration
Whooper Swan
Breeds in Arctic tundra from Siberia to western Canada; winters along the Pacific coast from British Columbia to Mexico.
Blue-billed Teal
Breeds in Arctic and subarctic Eurasia; winters at sea in the North Atlantic and from western Europe to eastern Africa.
Conservation Status
Whooper Swan
Blue-billed Teal
How to Tell Them Apart
Whooper Swan
All-white plumage. Long yellow bill with large wedge-shaped yellow patch extending past nostrils, contrasting with black tip. Long flat head profile. Holds neck erect and straight. Juveniles pale gray-brown.
Blue-billed Teal
Small; males have pale blue-gray bill contrasting with brown-gray body. Head finely spotted; underparts barred brown and white. Males show powder-blue forewing in flight. Females browner. African marsh species.
About These Birds
Whooper Swan
A large all-white swan with a long neck and a distinctive yellow-and-black bill pattern—a large yellow wedge extending to the nostrils. The national bird of Finland. Calls with a bugling whooping resonance. Breeds in Eurasian subarctic; winters in northwest Europe and East Asia.
Blue-billed Teal
A small dark teal with blue-grey bill and legs, brown-streaked plumage, and fine pale spotting on the flanks. The most widespread teal in sub-Saharan Africa. Found on freshwater lakes and marshes. Highly nomadic; follows seasonal rainfall. Swims low in the water like a pochard.