American Black Duck vs White-faced Whistling-duck
Anas rubripes compared with Dendrocygna viduata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | White-faced Whistling-duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Dendrocygna viduata |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 42.9 cm (16.9 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 689.5 g (24.32 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Grazes subarctic tundra grasses and sedges; winters on coastal salt marshes eating saltmarsh grasses and … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 4-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
American Black Duck only
White-faced Whistling-duck only
None
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.
White-faced Whistling-duck
Freshwater lakes, marshes, rice paddies, flooded fields, and slow-moving rivers in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. Tolerates a wide range of modified wetlands. Nomadic, following water availability.
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.
White-faced Whistling-duck
A clear, 3-syllable whistle 'wee-wee-WEE' — the origin of 'whistling-duck'. Given in noisy flocks during flight. Also gives a softer 'de-de-de' contact call on water.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
White-faced Whistling-duck
Found in floodplains and wetlands of the Llanos in Venezuela and eastern Colombia. Sedentary and locally nomadic in wet savannas.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
White-faced Whistling-duck
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 …
White-faced Whistling-duck
Distinctive white face and throat contrasting with black hindneck. Breast chestnut; sides and flanks barred black and white. Back brown. Long gray legs. Sexes identical; upright whistling-duck posture.
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.
White-faced Whistling-duck
A tall elegantly built whistling-duck with a conspicuous white face, chestnut body, barred flanks, and a distinctive three-note whistle. Widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Forms large noisy flocks at freshwater sites. Highly gregarious; roosts and nests communally.