Ruddy Duck vs Blue-billed Teal

Oxyura jamaicensis comparado con Spatula hottentota

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Atributo Ruddy Duck Blue-billed Teal
Nombre científico Oxyura jamaicensis Spatula hottentota
Orden Anseriformes Anseriformes
Familia Anatidae Anatidae
Estado de conservación Least Concern Least Concern
Longitud
Envergadura 27,9 cm (11.0 in) 29,4 cm (11.6 in)
Peso 586,6666666666666 g (20.69 oz) 269,2 g (9.50 oz)
Dieta Dives for aquatic plant seeds, roots, and invertebrates in freshwater marshes. Uses stiff tail as … Feeds on seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; filter-feeds in shallow water; broadly omnivorous and seasonally …
Tamaño de la puesta 5-15 5-12
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Hábitats compartidos

Ruddy Duck only

Blue-billed Teal only

Ninguno

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.

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Song & Call Comparison

Ruddy Duck

Canto

Male produces a mechanical, drumming bok-bok-bok staccato beat; female gives a harsh, nasal quack. The male's rapid drum-roll call on the bill during display is startlingly loud and distinctive.

Blue-billed Teal

Canto

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.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Ruddy Duck

Breeds across interior North America from western Canada south to Mexico. Winters on coasts and inland waters south to northern South America.

Blue-billed Teal

Breeds in Arctic and subarctic Eurasia; winters at sea in the North Atlantic and from western Europe to eastern Africa.

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Estado de conservación

Least Concern

Ruddy Duck

Least Concern

Blue-billed Teal

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How to Tell Them Apart

Ruddy Duck

Plumaje

Breeding male has vivid rufous-chestnut body, black crown, white cheeks, and bright sky-blue bill; stiff tail often cocked upright. Female is dull brown with pale cheek crossed by single dark …

Blue-billed Teal

Plumaje

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.

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About These Birds

Ruddy Duck

El pato malvasía norteamericano es un pato de cola tiesa con el macho de cabeza negra y mejillas blancas y el cuerpo de color castaño rojizo. Es originario de América del Norte y el Caribe, pero fue introducido accidentalmente en Europa donde la hibridación con la malvasía amenaza la supervivencia de esta especie en peligro de extinción. En vuelo, el aleteo rápido produce un zumbido audible.

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.

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