African Black Duck vs Cinnamon Teal
Anas sparsa compared with Spatula cyanoptera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | African Black Duck | Cinnamon Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas sparsa | Spatula cyanoptera |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 49.5 cm (19.5 in) | 37.5 cm (14.8 in) |
| Weight | 996.8333333333334 g (35.16 oz) | 406.25 g (14.33 oz) |
| Diet | -- | Eats seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; dabbles in wetland shallows; broadly omnivorous diet varies with … |
| Clutch Size | 4-9 | 4-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
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.
Cinnamon Teal
Freshwater and brackish marshes, ponds, and shallow lakes with emergent vegetation in western North America and wintering in Central and South America. Uses seasonal wetlands and agricultural ponds.
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.
Cinnamon Teal
Male produces a high, whistled peep; female gives a soft quacking rattle. The male's bright whistle punctuates North American and South American wetland dawns during migration.
Geographic Range & Migration
African Black Duck
Cinnamon Teal
Breeds in Arctic Canada and Alaska; winters on sea ice and coasts of the North Atlantic and North Pacific.
Conservation Status
African Black Duck
Cinnamon Teal
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 …
Cinnamon Teal
Males striking; deep cinnamon-red head and body with dark brown back. Red eye. Pale blue forewing and green speculum. Females mottled brown with pale blue forewing. Bill spatulate. Dimorphic western …
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.
Cinnamon Teal
A small duck. Males are brilliant all-over cinnamon-red with a bright blue-grey wing patch and red eye; females are mottled brown. Found in western North America and South America. Breeds in western United States and winters in Central America and South America.