Black-headed Duck vs Blue-billed Teal
Heteronetta atricapilla comparado con Spatula hottentota
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Atributo | Black-headed Duck | Blue-billed Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Nombre científico | Heteronetta atricapilla | Spatula hottentota |
| Orden | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Familia | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Estado de conservación | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longitud | — | — |
| Envergadura | 34,7 cm (13.7 in) | 29,4 cm (11.6 in) |
| Peso | 528,5 g (18.64 oz) | 269,2 g (9.50 oz) |
| Dieta | Parasitic; adults may feed on aquatic plants, seeds, and invertebrates in South American marshes. Diet … | Feeds on seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; filter-feeds in shallow water; broadly omnivorous and seasonally … |
| Tamaño de la puesta | 2 | 5-12 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Habitat Comparison
Blue-billed Teal
Freshwater lakes, marshes, pans, and flooded grasslands across sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal and Sudan south to the Cape. Nomadic; follows seasonal rains. Common but easily overlooked among reed beds.
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.
Blue-billed Teal
Male utters a soft, teal-like peep; female gives a muted quack. Pairs call quietly in dense papyrus; soft contact calls help birds maintain proximity in thick African marsh vegetation.
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.
Blue-billed Teal
Breeds in Arctic and subarctic Eurasia; winters at sea in the North Atlantic and from western Europe to eastern Africa.
Estado de conservación
Black-headed Duck
Blue-billed Teal
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.
Blue-billed Teal
Small; males have pale blue-gray bill contrasting with brown-gray body. Head finely spotted; underparts barred brown and white. Males show powder-blue forewing in flight. Females browner. African marsh species.
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.
Blue-billed Teal
A small dark teal with blue-grey bill and legs, brown-streaked plumage, and fine pale spotting on the flanks. The most widespread teal in sub-Saharan Africa. Found on freshwater lakes and marshes. Highly nomadic; follows seasonal rainfall. Swims low in the water like a pochard.