American Black Duck vs Pink-headed Duck
Anas rubripes compared with Rhodonessa caryophyllacea
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Pink-headed Duck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Rhodonessa caryophyllacea |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Critically Endangered |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 50.2 cm (19.8 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 963.8 g (34.00 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Probably extinct; fed on fish, molluscs, and aquatic invertebrates in Indian subcontinent wetlands; diet recorded … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 5-10 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
American Black Duck only
Pink-headed Duck only
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.
Pink-headed Duck
Historically inhabited secluded freshwater pools, lakes, and marshes in tall grass and forest in the Ganges and Brahmaputra plains of India, Nepal, and Myanmar. Now possibly extinct or extremely rare.
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.
Pink-headed Duck
Critically Endangered; likely gives a soft, resonant quacking note judging from close relatives. The Pink-headed Duck may have produced a distinctive, mellow whistle unlike other pochards.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Pink-headed Duck
Breeds in the northern prairies of Canada and US; winters in the Gulf Coast and along the Atlantic coast south to Florida.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Pink-headed 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 …
Pink-headed Duck
Unmistakable; males have strikingly bright pink head and neck contrasting with dark chocolate-brown body and wings. Pink bill. Females have paler pink head. Possibly extinct; last confirmed 1949. Critically endangered …
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.
Pink-headed Duck
Possibly extinct; a distinctive large diving duck formerly found in the Ganges plains of India and Myanmar. Males had a deep pink head and neck contrasting with dark chocolate-brown body. Last confirmed sightings in the 1940s. One of Asia's greatest bird mysteries.