American Black Duck vs Salvadori's Teal
Anas rubripes compared with Salvadorina waigiuensis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Salvadori's Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Salvadorina waigiuensis |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 37.2 cm (14.6 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 345.6666666666667 g (12.19 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Dabbles for seeds and aquatic invertebrates in shallow wetlands; diet broadly omnivorous; invertebrate intake peaks … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 3-4 |
| 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.
Salvadori's Teal
Fast-flowing clear mountain streams and rivers at 1,000–3,900 m on New Guinea. Requires clean turbulent water with abundant aquatic invertebrates. Avoids lowland and polluted rivers.
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.
Salvadori's Teal
A soft, piping whistle from New Guinea mountain streams. Relatively poorly known; call is a gentle, reedy note. Behavior and vocalizations remain incompletely documented.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Salvadori's Teal
Breeds across northern Eurasia; winters in tropical Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Broad Palearctic–Oriental migration.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Salvadori's Teal
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 …
Salvadori's Teal
Dark brown plumage with fine pale spotting and barring throughout. Head dark brown; underparts barred brown and buff. Yellow bill with dark tip. Legs and feet yellow. Unique highland New …
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.
Salvadori's Teal
A small brown torrent-adapted duck with a yellow bill, spotted body, and barred flanks. Endemic to New Guinea's mountain rivers. Often compared to New Zealand's Blue Duck in ecological niche. Inhabits fast-flowing alpine streams. Poorly studied; listed as Vulnerable.