Lesser Whistling-duck vs Blue-billed Teal
Dendrocygna javanica compared with Spatula hottentota
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Lesser Whistling-duck | Blue-billed Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Dendrocygna javanica | Spatula hottentota |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 38.8 cm (15.3 in) | 29.4 cm (11.6 in) |
| Weight | 525.0 g (18.52 oz) | 269.2 g (9.50 oz) |
| Diet | Grazes subarctic grasses and rushes; migratory; winters on estuarine mudflats and coastal grasslands eating eelgrass … | Feeds on seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; filter-feeds in shallow water; broadly omnivorous and seasonally … |
| Clutch Size | 7-17 | 5-12 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
Lesser Whistling-duck only
Blue-billed Teal only
None
Lesser Whistling-duck
Freshwater wetlands, lakes, rice paddies, mangroves, and slow rivers across South and Southeast Asia from India through southern China to Borneo and Indonesia. Common near cultivated land and human settlements.
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
Lesser Whistling-duck
A softer, higher-pitched whistle than other Dendrocygna. Call is a quick 'we-we' given in flight. Smaller size reflected in higher-pitched and thinner quality of call.
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
Lesser Whistling-duck
Breeds on tundra of northern Canada and Alaska; winters on the Pacific coast from California to Mexico and Central America.
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
Lesser Whistling-duck
Blue-billed Teal
How to Tell Them Apart
Lesser Whistling-duck
Warm chestnut-brown overall; head and neck brown; upperparts dark brown. Chestnut rump and upper-tail conspicuous in flight. Flanks chestnut with pale streaks. Bill and legs dark gray. Sexes similar.
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
Lesser Whistling-duck
A small warm brown whistling-duck with chestnut upper-tail coverts, a pale face, and dark brown cap. The most widespread and common whistling-duck in Asia. Found in freshwater wetlands from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia. Nests in holes in trees and sometimes in thatched roofs.
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.