African Black Duck vs White-faced Whistling-duck

Anas sparsa verglichen mit Dendrocygna viduata

Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal African Black Duck White-faced Whistling-duck
Wissenschaftlicher Name Anas sparsa Dendrocygna viduata
Ordnung Anseriformes Anseriformes
Familie Anatidae Anatidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 49,5 cm (19.5 in) 42,9 cm (16.9 in)
Gewicht 996,8333333333334 g (35.16 oz) 689,5 g (24.32 oz)
Ernährung -- Grazes subarctic tundra grasses and sedges; winters on coastal salt marshes eating saltmarsh grasses and …
Gelegegröße 4-9 4-16
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

African Black Duck only

White-faced Whistling-duck only

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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.

White-faced Whistling-duck

Freshwater lakes, marshes, rice paddies, flooded fields, and slow-moving rivers in sub-Saharan Africa and tropical South America. Tolerates a wide range of modified wetlands. Nomadic, following water availability.

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.

White-faced Whistling-duck

Gesang

A clear, 3-syllable whistle 'wee-wee-WEE' — the origin of 'whistling-duck'. Given in noisy flocks during flight. Also gives a softer 'de-de-de' contact call on water.

Geographic Range & Migration

African Black Duck

White-faced Whistling-duck

Found in floodplains and wetlands of the Llanos in Venezuela and eastern Colombia. Sedentary and locally nomadic in wet savannas.

Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

African Black Duck

Least Concern

White-faced Whistling-duck

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 …

White-faced Whistling-duck

Gefieder

Distinctive white face and throat contrasting with black hindneck. Breast chestnut; sides and flanks barred black and white. Back brown. Long gray legs. Sexes identical; upright whistling-duck posture.

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.

White-faced Whistling-duck

A tall elegantly built whistling-duck with a conspicuous white face, chestnut body, barred flanks, and a distinctive three-note whistle. Widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and South America. Forms large noisy flocks at freshwater sites. Highly gregarious; roosts and nests communally.

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