American Black Duck vs Steller's Eider

Anas rubripes verglichen mit Polysticta stelleri

Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal American Black Duck Steller's Eider
Wissenschaftlicher Name Anas rubripes Polysticta stelleri
Ordnung Anseriformes Anseriformes
Familie Anatidae Anatidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Vulnerable
Länge
Flügelspannweite 53,4 cm (21.0 in) 40,7 cm (16.0 in)
Gewicht 1211,25 g (42.73 oz) 815,75 g (28.77 oz)
Ernährung -- Eats molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates; dives in shallow coastal and estuarine habitats; diet invertebrate-dominated.
Gelegegröße 1-17 3-10
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

American Black Duck only

Steller's Eider only

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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.

Steller's Eider

Breeds on low-lying coastal tundra in Arctic Russia and occasionally Alaska. Winters on shallow rocky sea coasts, kelp beds, and sheltered bays in the Baltic Sea and Pacific coast of Alaska. Listed as Vulnerable.

Song & Call Comparison

American Black Duck

Gesang

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.

Steller's Eider

Gesang

Male produces a low, soft cooing note; female gives a guttural, grunting purr. Quieter than other eiders; the male's gentle cooing is unlike the louder calls of the Common Eider.

Geographic Range & Migration

American Black Duck

Steller's Eider

Breeds in boreal Canada and Alaska; winters along Pacific and Atlantic coasts and on large interior lakes of the US.

Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

American Black Duck

Vulnerable

Steller's Eider

How to Tell Them Apart

American Black Duck

Gefieder

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 …

Steller's Eider

Gefieder

Males have white head with green nape spot, black eye patch and chin; orange-buff underparts; black back with white wing patches. Females mottled dark brown with blue speculum bordered white. …

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.

Steller's Eider

A small sea duck. Males have a white head with green facial markings, black throat patch, chestnut underparts, and white back; females are dark brown. The smallest eider. Breeds in Arctic tundra; winters in Baltic Sea and Alaskan coastal waters. Vulnerable to contaminants and oil spills.

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