Greater Scaup vs Brent Goose

Aythya marila verglichen mit Branta bernicla

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Greater Scaup Brent Goose
Wissenschaftlicher Name Aythya marila Branta bernicla
Ordnung Anseriformes Anseriformes
Familie Anatidae Anatidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 42,7 cm (16.8 in) 63,9 cm (25.2 in)
Gewicht 984,0 g (34.71 oz) 1335,0 g (47.09 oz)
Ernährung Eats molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts between invertebrate … Primarily herbivorous; grazes aquatic plants, grasses, and sedges; swans upend in shallow water for submerged …
Gelegegröße 4-12 1-10
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

Greater Scaup only

Brent Goose only

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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.

Brent Goose

Breeds on high-Arctic tundra; winters on estuaries, coastal mudflats, saltmarshes, and sea-grass beds along Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. One of the most strictly coastal wintering geese.

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Song & Call Comparison

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.

Brent Goose

Gesang

A low, guttural 'rronk' or 'ronk-ronk' from flocks. Soft nasal calls in feeding groups. A subtle, understated call for a goose — less loud than most Anser geese.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Greater Scaup

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

Brent Goose

Breeds across boreal and subarctic Canada and Alaska; winters in the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America.

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Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Greater Scaup

Least Concern

Brent Goose

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How to Tell Them Apart

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 …

Brent Goose

Gefieder

Small; mostly black head, neck, and breast. Small white neck-patch on adults. Back dark brownish-gray; belly pale gray to white depending on subspecies. White undertail coverts. Sexes similar.

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About These Birds

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.

Brent Goose

A small dark-bodied goose with a black head and neck, small white neck patches, and pale grey belly. Migrates between high-Arctic breeding grounds and temperate coastal wintering areas. Feeds on eel-grass and saltmarsh vegetation in winter. Three subspecies differ in belly coloration.

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