Black-headed Duck vs King Eider
Heteronetta atricapilla comparado con Somateria spectabilis
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Atributo | Black-headed Duck | King Eider |
|---|---|---|
| Nombre científico | Heteronetta atricapilla | Somateria spectabilis |
| Orden | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Familia | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Estado de conservación | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longitud | — | — |
| Envergadura | 34,7 cm (13.7 in) | 53,3 cm (21.0 in) |
| Peso | 528,5 g (18.64 oz) | 1507,5 g (53.18 oz) |
| Dieta | Parasitic; adults may feed on aquatic plants, seeds, and invertebrates in South American marshes. Diet … | Dives for sea urchins, molluscs, and crustaceans in Arctic coastal waters. Shifts to freshwater invertebrates … |
| Tamaño de la puesta | 2 | 1-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Song & Call Comparison
Black-headed Duck
Male gives a soft, raspy peeping note; female produces a muted quack. An obligate brood parasite with reduced vocalizations; subdued calls suit its secretive lifestyle among Argentine reeds.
King Eider
Male produces a melodious, ascending ooo-wuh cooing; female gives a guttural grunt. The male's haunting, dove-like call is one of the most atmospheric sounds of the High Arctic in spring.
Geographic Range & Migration
Black-headed Duck
Resident in southern South America from southern Brazil and Bolivia south to Argentina and Chile. Found on lakes and marshes in open lowlands.
King Eider
Circumpolar High Arctic breeder in North America, Greenland, Svalbard, and Russia. Winters at sea in the North Atlantic and Bering Sea.
Estado de conservación
Black-headed Duck
King Eider
How to Tell Them Apart
Black-headed Duck
Male has distinctive jet-black head and neck, warm chestnut-brown back, and pale buff underparts; blue-grey bill with red base. Female is streaked brown above with pale supercilium and whitish underparts.
King Eider
Male has bluish-grey crown, pale greenish cheeks, vivid orange-red frontal shield, black back and wings, and white breast patch. Female is warm rufous-brown with dark crescentic barring throughout.
About These Birds
Black-headed Duck
El pato cabeza negra es un pequeño pato buceador (~530 g) de América del Sur, familia Anatidae, y el único miembro del género Heteronetta. Tiene la cabeza negra en el macho y cuerpo marrón. Parásita de nido obligada: pone sus huevos en los nidos de otras aves acuáticas, especialmente fochas y pollas de agua. Habita en lagos y lagunas con vegetación emergente de Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Chile, Paraguay y Uruguay. No cría su propia cría nunca.
King Eider
El eider real es un gran pato marítimo ártico en el que el macho tiene un plumaje de cría espectacular con la cabeza de múltiples colores: azul-grisáceo, rosa y verde, con un prominente escudo frontal naranja. Cría en la tundra ártica y pasa el invierno en costas marinas, a menudo en aguas heladas. Forma grandes bandadas en el invierno que pueden contar con decenas de miles de individuos.