African Black Duck vs Northern Shoveler
Anas sparsa compared with Spatula clypeata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | African Black Duck | Northern Shoveler |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas sparsa | Spatula clypeata |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 49.5 cm (19.5 in) | 45.3 cm (17.8 in) |
| Weight | 996.8333333333334 g (35.16 oz) | 631.5 g (22.28 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Eats seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; dabbles in wetlands; broadly omnivorous diet shifts with season … |
| Clutch Size | 4-9 | 5-14 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
African Black Duck only
None
Northern Shoveler only
African Black Duck
Fast-flowing rocky rivers and streams, mountain gorges, and waterfalls from sea level to 4,000 m across sub-Saharan Africa from Ethiopia and Kenya south to the Cape. Requires clear turbulent water with boulders.
Northern Shoveler
Breeds on freshwater prairie ponds, marshes, and lake margins across Eurasia and North America. Winters on coastal lagoons, estuaries, freshwater lakes, and rice paddies in tropical and subtropical regions worldwide.
Song & Call Comparison
African Black Duck
Produces a harsh, resonant quacking call; alarm is a loud, emphatic quack repeated rapidly. Both sexes call with strong quacking; pairs duet with synchronized calls along African rivers.
Northern Shoveler
Male gives a low, hollow took-took call; female produces a laughing, descending quacking series. Courtship includes head-bobbing displays accompanied by quiet nasal grunting calls.
Geographic Range & Migration
African Black Duck
Northern Shoveler
Breeds across sub-Arctic and boreal Eurasia; winters from the British Isles to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.
Conservation Status
African Black Duck
Northern Shoveler
How to Tell Them Apart
African Black Duck
Dark blackish-brown plumage with bold white spots on back and scapulars. Iridescent blue-green speculum with white borders. Head dark with pale spots. Bill and legs dark gray. Sexes similar. Fast-flowing …
Northern Shoveler
Breeding males have iridescent green head, white breast, and rufous-chestnut flanks. Yellow eye. Pale blue forewing and green speculum. Females mottled brown. Massive spatulate bill unique among ducks. Dimorphic.
About These Birds
African Black Duck
A medium-sized dark brown duck with white spots on the back, a dark bill, and orange legs. Found along fast-flowing rocky rivers and streams in Africa. Territorial and monogamous; pairs defend stretches of river. Related to Pacific Black Duck.
Northern Shoveler
A medium-sized duck with a dramatically large spatula-shaped bill perfectly adapted for filter-feeding. Males have an iridescent green head, white breast, chestnut flanks, and sky-blue wing patches. Highly migratory; one of the Northern Hemisphere's most widespread ducks.