Southern Pintail vs Wandering Whistling-duck

Anas eatoni verglichen mit Dendrocygna arcuata

Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Southern Pintail Wandering Whistling-duck
Wissenschaftlicher Name Anas eatoni Dendrocygna arcuata
Ordnung Anseriformes Anseriformes
Familie Anatidae Anatidae
Erhaltungsstatus Vulnerable Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 40,6 cm (16.0 in) 37,2 cm (14.6 in)
Gewicht 497,0 g (17.53 oz) 779,5 g (27.50 oz)
Ernährung Dives for molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates; eats hard-shelled prey; diet shifts between freshwater and … Eats grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants in tundra; winter diet of coastal salt marsh grasses …
Gelegegröße 2-6 6-15
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

Southern Pintail only

Wandering Whistling-duck only

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Southern Pintail

Restricted to the sub-Antarctic Kerguelen and Crozet archipelagos. Inhabits freshwater streams, ponds, and coastal wetlands. Largely terrestrial for a duck; forages on land among tussock grasses.

Wandering Whistling-duck

Tropical freshwater marshes, flooded grasslands, swamps, and lake margins from the Philippines and Indonesia through Papua New Guinea to northern and eastern Australia. Nomadic following wet season flooding.

Song & Call Comparison

Southern Pintail

Gesang

Female produces a quiet, nasal quacking; male gives a soft whistle. Subdued vocalizations suit this sub-Antarctic island duck; calls are seldom heard and rarely documented.

Wandering Whistling-duck

Gesang

A soft whistle 'whi-whi-whi' in flight. Less vocal than other whistling-ducks; flocks tend to be quieter. Given at dawn and dusk during flight to roosting or feeding areas.

Geographic Range & Migration

Southern Pintail

Breeds in Iceland and high-Arctic Norway; winters on the coasts of northwestern Europe and the British Isles.

Wandering Whistling-duck

Breeds in Arctic and subarctic regions; winters at sea around the Antarctic pack ice, one of the longest migrations known.

Erhaltungsstatus

Vulnerable

Southern Pintail

Least Concern

Wandering Whistling-duck

How to Tell Them Apart

Southern Pintail

Gefieder

Brown, mottled plumage; head brown with pale cheeks. Pointed tail; males slightly longer-tailed. Grayish bill. Speculum bronze-green. Sexes similar with modest dimorphism. Subantarctic island endemic; two subspecies.

Wandering Whistling-duck

Gefieder

Rich chestnut-brown head and neck; dark brown back. Flanks rufous with pale buff streaks and dark spots. Belly blackish. Long, dark pinkish legs. Upright posture typical of whistling-ducks. Sexes similar.

About These Birds

Southern Pintail

A small island duck found on the remote Kerguelen and Crozet archipelagos in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean. Closely related to Northern Pintail. Non-migratory island endemic; small population threatened by introduced predators and overgrazing by rabbits.

Wandering Whistling-duck

A medium-sized whistling-duck with rufous-brown body, dark brown back, pale buff underparts, and a chestnut collar. Found in tropical wetlands from Indonesia to Australia and Pacific islands. Highly social and nomadic. Forages by dabbling and diving in shallow freshwater.

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