American Black Duck vs Marbled Duck
Anas rubripes compared with Marmaronetta angustirostris
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Marbled Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Marmaronetta angustirostris |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Near Threatened |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 40.1 cm (15.8 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 422.5 g (14.90 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Dives for molluscs, crustaceans, and small fish; diet dominated by hard-shelled benthic invertebrates in coastal … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 5-20 |
| 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.
Marbled Duck
Shallow densely vegetated freshwater and brackish marshes, rice paddies, and lagoons in the Mediterranean basin, Middle East, and Central Asia. Winters in Africa and South Asia. Dependent on emergent wetland vegetation.
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.
Marbled Duck
Male gives a low, guttural chuckling; female produces a nasal, rattling quack. Calls are relatively quiet for a duck; the chuckling male call is unusual among Eurasian and North African …
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Marbled Duck
Breeds in the high Arctic; winters on the open Atlantic Ocean and along coastlines from Labrador to the Gulf of Mexico.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Marbled 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 …
Marbled Duck
Pale sandy-buff plumage with bold white spots throughout; distinctive marbled pattern. Dark eye patch forming mask. Pale face and throat. No iridescent speculum. Gray bill; gray legs. Sexes similar. Mediterranean …
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.
Marbled Duck
A pale sandy-buff duck with distinctive marbled dark and light brown spotting on body and wings, a dark eyepatch, and pale bill. Found in Mediterranean scrub-wetlands and Middle Eastern marshes. Migratory; breeds in southern Europe and central Asia, winters in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.