African Black Duck vs Greater Scaup

Anas sparsa verglichen mit Aythya marila

Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal African Black Duck Greater Scaup
Wissenschaftlicher Name Anas sparsa Aythya marila
Ordnung Anseriformes Anseriformes
Familie Anatidae Anatidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 49,5 cm (19.5 in) 42,7 cm (16.8 in)
Gewicht 996,8333333333334 g (35.16 oz) 984,0 g (34.71 oz)
Ernährung -- Eats molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts between invertebrate …
Gelegegröße 4-9 4-12
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

African Black Duck only

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Greater Scaup 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.

Greater Scaup

Breeds on tundra and boreal lakes in the Arctic and subarctic across Eurasia and North America. Winters in large numbers on coastal bays, estuaries, and large lakes in temperate regions.

Song & Call Comparison

African Black Duck

Gesang

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.

Greater Scaup

Gesang

Male gives a low, purring wheeze; female produces a harsh, rolling quacking sequence. Calls are very similar to Lesser Scaup but slightly lower-pitched; heard on open ocean bays in winter.

Geographic Range & Migration

African Black Duck

Greater Scaup

Breeds in the high Arctic of North America; winters offshore on the Atlantic coast from Labrador to South Carolina.

Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

African Black Duck

Least Concern

Greater Scaup

How to Tell Them Apart

African Black Duck

Gefieder

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 …

Greater Scaup

Gefieder

Males have glossy green-black rounded head; white flanks and belly; black breast and undertail; gray back. Yellow eye. Bill blue-gray. Females dark brown with white face patch around bill. Longer …

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.

Greater Scaup

A medium-sized diving duck. Males have a rounded glossy green-tinged head, white flanks, and black breast; females are brown with white around the bill. Similar to Lesser Scaup but told apart by head shape and nail width. Found on large open water bodies.

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