American Black Duck vs Paradise Shelduck
Anas rubripes compared with Tadorna variegata
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | American Black Duck | Paradise Shelduck |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Anas rubripes | Tadorna variegata |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | — | — |
| Wingspan | 53.4 cm (21.0 in) | 70.2 cm (27.6 in) |
| Weight | 1211.25 g (42.73 oz) | 1569.5 g (55.36 oz) |
| Diet | Eats fish and aquatic invertebrates; dives in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts toward molluscs … | Eats seeds, grasses, and aquatic invertebrates; grazes near water; dabbles in shallows; diet varies with … |
| Clutch Size | 1-17 | 5-15 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Shared Habitats
American Black Duck only
Paradise Shelduck only
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.
Paradise Shelduck
Open farmland, grassland, lake shores, riverbeds, and wetlands throughout both main islands of New Zealand. Nests in caves, burrows, hollow trees, and dense vegetation. Highly territorial in the breeding season.
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.
Paradise Shelduck
Male gives a high-pitched whistle; female gives a loud, harsh cackling call 'rak-rak-rak'. New Zealand's only endemic shelduck; calls echoing in open farmland are distinctive.
Geographic Range & Migration
American Black Duck
Breeds in the steppe zone of Central Asia; winters in South Asia, East Africa, and coastal Southeast Asia.
Paradise Shelduck
Breeds in Eurasia from the UK to Siberia; winters across sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent.
Conservation Status
American Black Duck
Paradise Shelduck
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 …
Paradise Shelduck
Extreme dimorphism. Males have black head with green gloss and black-and-chestnut body. Females have pure white head and neck contrasting with rich chestnut-rufous body. Both show white wing patches. 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.
Paradise Shelduck
New Zealand's most colorful duck with strong sexual dimorphism: males have dark greenish-black body; females are strikingly white-headed with chestnut body. Endemic and common. Found across New Zealand's grasslands, farmland, and wetlands. A significant game species traditionally harvested by Māori.