Comb Duck vs Blue-billed Teal
Sarkidiornis sylvicola compared with Spatula hottentota
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Comb Duck | Blue-billed Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Sarkidiornis sylvicola | Spatula hottentota |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 60.9 cm (24.0 in) | 29.4 cm (11.6 in) |
| Weight | 1817.5 g (64.11 oz) | 269.2 g (9.50 oz) |
| Diet | Feeds on seeds, plant material, and invertebrates; dabbles and sifts shallow water; diet varies widely … | Feeds on seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; filter-feeds in shallow water; broadly omnivorous and seasonally … |
| Clutch Size | -- | 5-12 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Comb Duck
Freshwater lakes, rivers, flooded savannas, and seasonally inundated forest in lowland tropical South America from Panama south to Bolivia, Brazil, and northern Argentina. Nests in tree cavities near permanent water.
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
Comb Duck
A soft, nasal 'wuk-wuk' call. Both sexes give similar quiet calls. Generally a less vocal duck than most waterfowl. Gives a rattling wingbeat sound during flight.
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
Comb Duck
Breeds in the prairie pothole region of central North America; winters along the Pacific coast from Alaska to Mexico.
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
Comb Duck
Blue-billed Teal
How to Tell Them Apart
Comb Duck
Males have white head densely spotted black; black back with blue-green iridescence; white underparts with gray flanks. Prominent black fleshy knob on bill. Females smaller, duller, lack knob. South American.
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
Comb Duck
A large pied duck with a black-and-white body and, in males, a large black knob on the upper mandible during breeding season. The New World Comb Duck found from Panama to northern Argentina. Nests in tree cavities near lakes. Feeds by dabbling and grazing in wetland margins.
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.