Coscoroba Swan vs Wandering Whistling-duck

Coscoroba coscoroba verglichen mit Dendrocygna arcuata

Side-by-Side Comparison

Merkmal Coscoroba Swan Wandering Whistling-duck
Wissenschaftlicher Name Coscoroba coscoroba Dendrocygna arcuata
Ordnung Anseriformes Anseriformes
Familie Anatidae Anatidae
Erhaltungsstatus Least Concern Least Concern
Länge
Flügelspannweite 84,2 cm (33.1 in) 37,2 cm (14.6 in)
Gewicht 4200,0 g (148.15 oz) 779,5 g (27.50 oz)
Ernährung -- Eats grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants in tundra; winter diet of coastal salt marsh grasses …
Gelegegröße 4-9 6-15
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Gemeinsame Lebensräume

Coscoroba Swan only

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Wandering Whistling-duck only

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Coscoroba Swan

Freshwater lakes, marshes, lagoons, and flooded grasslands from southern Brazil through Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina to Tierra del Fuego. Partially migratory; moves northward in winter. Nests in reedy margins.

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

Coscoroba Swan

Gesang

A bugling, honking 'coscoroba' call — giving the species its onomatopoeic name. Loud and far-carrying. Less commonly heard than northern hemisphere swans.

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

Coscoroba Swan

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

Coscoroba Swan

Least Concern

Wandering Whistling-duck

How to Tell Them Apart

Coscoroba Swan

Gefieder

Entirely white plumage except black wingtips visible in flight. Bright red bill and red legs and feet. Red eye-ring. More goose-like than true swans. Juvenile has brownish wash. Sexes similar.

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

Coscoroba Swan

The smallest swan and the only member of its genus, differing from true swans with a more goose-like head, red-pink bill and legs, and all-white plumage with black wingtips. Found in southern South America. Swims gracefully and grazes shoreline vegetation. Loud coscoroba call is distinctive.

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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