African Black Duck vs Lake Duck

Anas sparsa comparé à Oxyura vittata

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut African Black Duck Lake Duck
Nom scientifique Anas sparsa Oxyura vittata
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 49,5 cm (19.5 in) 27,6 cm (10.9 in)
Poids 996,8333333333334 g (35.16 oz) 665,0 g (23.46 oz)
Régime alimentaire -- Dives for aquatic invertebrates and plant seeds in South American freshwater lakes and marshes. Feeds …
Taille de la couvée 4-9 3-5
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

African Black Duck only

Lake Duck only

Aucun(e)

African Black Duck

Fast-flowing rocky rivers and streams, mountain gorges, and waterfalls from sea level to 4,000 m across sub-Saharan Africa from Ethiopia and Kenya south to the Cape. Requires clear turbulent water with boulders.

Song & Call Comparison

African Black Duck

Chant

Produces a harsh, resonant quacking call; alarm is a loud, emphatic quack repeated rapidly. Both sexes call with strong quacking; pairs duet with synchronized calls along African rivers.

Lake Duck

Chant

Male produces a mechanical, drumming staccato call; female gives a soft, nasal quack. Drumming display resembles other Oxyura stiff-tails; heard at dawn on Andean and Patagonian lakes.

Geographic Range & Migration

African Black Duck

Lake Duck

Resident in southern South America from central Chile and central Argentina south to Tierra del Fuego. Found on lowland lakes and lagoons.

Statut de conservation

Least Concern

African Black Duck

Least Concern

Lake Duck

How to Tell Them Apart

African Black Duck

Plumage

Dark blackish-brown plumage with bold white spots on back and scapulars. Iridescent blue-green speculum with white borders. Head dark with pale spots. Bill and legs dark gray. Sexes similar. Fast-flowing …

Lake Duck

Plumage

Male is dark chestnut-brown with black head, pale whitish-grey cheeks, and cobalt-blue bill. Female is brownish-buff with streaked upperparts and a distinctive pale supercilium; undertail coverts whitish.

About These Birds

African Black Duck

A medium-sized dark brown duck with white spots on the back, a dark bill, and orange legs. Found along fast-flowing rocky rivers and streams in Africa. Territorial and monogamous; pairs defend stretches of river. Related to Pacific Black Duck.

Lake Duck

A stiff-tailed duck (~665 g) of southern South America, family Anatidae, with males displaying ruddy plumage and a bright blue bill. Inhabits freshwater lakes, ponds, and marshes from Brazil to Patagonia. Dives for aquatic plants, seeds, and invertebrates. Least Concern; notable for the proportionally longest penis of any vertebrate relative to body size.

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