Barrow's Goldeneye vs Wandering Whistling-duck

Bucephala islandica verglichen mit Dendrocygna arcuata

Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Barrow's Goldeneye Wandering Whistling-duck
Wissenschaftlicher Name Bucephala islandica Dendrocygna arcuata
Ordnung Anseriformes Anseriformes
Familie Anatidae Anatidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 44,3 cm (17.4 in) 37,2 cm (14.6 in)
Gewicht 838,0 g (29.56 oz) 779,5 g (27.50 oz)
Ernährung Dives for crustaceans, aquatic insects, and molluscs in mountain lakes and coastal bays. Diet similar … Eats grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants in tundra; winter diet of coastal salt marsh grasses …
Gelegegröße 6-14 6-15
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

Barrow's Goldeneye only

Wandering Whistling-duck only

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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

Barrow's Goldeneye

Gesang

Male produces a whistled, nasal kaow-kaow call; female gives a harsh quacking series. The male's wheezy, double call differs from Common Goldeneye; heard on western North American lakes.

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

Barrow's Goldeneye

Breeds in Iceland, western Canada, and locally the western United States. Winters on coasts and lakes of the Pacific Northwest and eastern Canada.

Wandering Whistling-duck

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

Erhaltungsstatus

Least Concern

Barrow's Goldeneye

Least Concern

Wandering Whistling-duck

How to Tell Them Apart

Barrow's Goldeneye

Gefieder

Male has iridescent purple-black head with crescent-shaped white facial patch; white body with black scapulars bearing bold white spots. Female grey with brown head, white collar; head rounder than Common …

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

Barrow's Goldeneye

A medium-sized cavity-nesting duck (~840 g) in family Anatidae, males with purple-glossed heads and a crescent-shaped white face patch. Breeds near mountain lakes in western North America and Iceland; winters on coastal bays. Dives for invertebrates and small fish. Least Concern; dependent on large tree cavities for nesting.

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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