African Black Duck vs Spectacled Eider

Anas sparsa comparé à Somateria fischeri

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut African Black Duck Spectacled Eider
Nom scientifique Anas sparsa Somateria fischeri
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Near Threatened
Longueur
Envergure 49,5 cm (19.5 in) 49,2 cm (19.4 in)
Poids 996,8333333333334 g (35.16 oz) 1443,75 g (50.93 oz)
Régime alimentaire -- Dives for bivalves, crustaceans, and aquatic insects in shallow Arctic coastal and freshwater habitats. Insects …
Taille de la couvée 4-9 1-9
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

African Black Duck only

Aucun(e)

Spectacled Eider 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.

Spectacled Eider

Chant

Male gives a low, melodious aah-ooo cooing; female produces a guttural, grunting call. The male's ghostly, organ-like cooing call carries across Arctic tundra ponds in the breeding season.

Geographic Range & Migration

African Black Duck

Spectacled Eider

Breeds on coastal tundra of western and northern Alaska. Winters along the Bering Sea coast from Alaska to Kamchatka. Largely sedentary.

Statut de conservation

Least Concern

African Black Duck

Near Threatened

Spectacled Eider

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 …

Spectacled Eider

Plumage

Male has white back and black breast with pale sage-green head framed by large white goggle-like spectacles edged black. Female mottled tawny-brown with faint spectacle outline.

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.

Spectacled Eider

A medium-large sea duck of the family Anatidae, weighing ~1.4 kg with distinctive pale green goggles in males. Breeds on Arctic tundra of Alaska and Russia; winters in pack ice of the Bering Sea. Dives for benthic invertebrates and mollusks. Near Threatened due to population declines linked to lead poisoning and habitat change.

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