Wandering Whistling-duck vs New Zealand Merganser
Dendrocygna arcuata verglichen mit Mergus australis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Merkmal | Wandering Whistling-duck | New Zealand Merganser |
|---|---|---|
| Wissenschaftlicher Name | Dendrocygna arcuata | Mergus australis |
| Ordnung | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Familie | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Erhaltungsstatus | Least Concern | Extinct |
| Länge | — | — |
| Flügelspannweite | 37,2 cm (14.6 in) | — |
| Gewicht | 779,5 g (27.50 oz) | 898,0 g (31.68 oz) |
| Ernährung | Eats grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants in tundra; winter diet of coastal salt marsh grasses … | Extinct; historically dived for fish and aquatic invertebrates in New Zealand freshwater streams. Diet inferred … |
| Gelegegröße | 6-15 | -- |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Gemeinsame Lebensräume
Wandering Whistling-duck only
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New Zealand Merganser only
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
Wandering Whistling-duck
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.
New Zealand Merganser
Extinct (EX). No recordings exist. This flightless New Zealand merganser likely gave grunting, nasal calls similar to the Red-breasted Merganser based on skull morphology and taxonomy.
Geographic Range & Migration
Wandering Whistling-duck
Breeds in Arctic and subarctic regions; winters at sea around the Antarctic pack ice, one of the longest migrations known.
New Zealand Merganser
Formerly endemic to South Island and Stewart Island, New Zealand. Extinct since the 1900s.
Erhaltungsstatus
Wandering Whistling-duck
New Zealand Merganser
How to Tell Them Apart
Wandering Whistling-duck
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.
New Zealand Merganser
Both sexes were dark brown overall; male had greenish-black gloss on head with slight crest, whitish barring on wings; female paler brown with rufous-tinged head and whitish throat.
About These Birds
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.
New Zealand Merganser
An extinct flightless or near-flightless merganser (~900 g) of family Anatidae, endemic to the subantarctic Auckland Islands of New Zealand. Inhabited forested riverine habitats and fed on freshwater fish and invertebrates. Exterminated by hunting and predation from introduced mammals; last reliably recorded in 1902 and declared Extinct.