American Black Duck vs Baikal Teal
Anas rubripes compared with Sibirionetta formosa
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Baikal Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Sibirionetta formosa |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 41.2 cm (16.2 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 446.75 g (15.76 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Dabbles for seeds, aquatic invertebrates, and plant matter; omnivorous diet varies with season and water … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 4-10 |
| 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.
Baikal Teal
Breeds in boreal taiga along Siberian rivers and boggy ground from western to northeastern Siberia. Winters on freshwater lakes and rice fields in South Korea, Japan, and eastern China.
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.
Baikal Teal
Male gives a soft, liquid wot-wot call; female produces a low, nasal quack. Wintering flocks create a musical murmuring chorus of whistled notes on East Asian wetlands.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Baikal Teal
Breeds in montane and boreal zones across Eurasia; winters at lower elevations and southern latitudes in Europe and Asia.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Baikal 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 …
Baikal Teal
Males have exquisitely patterned green-and-buff head with bold white and black facial stripes. Pinkish breast with black spots; gray flanks; long drooping scapulars. Females brown with white loral spot and …
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.
Baikal Teal
A strikingly beautiful teal with intricately patterned golden, green, black, and white head; pink-brown breast; and grey flanks. Breeds in Siberian taiga; winters in East Asia. Once seriously depleted, now recovering. Forms spectacular flocks of hundreds of thousands at South Korean wintering sites.