Greater White-fronted Goose vs White-headed Duck

Anser albifrons comparé à Oxyura leucocephala

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Greater White-fronted Goose White-headed Duck
Nom scientifique Anser albifrons Oxyura leucocephala
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Endangered
Longueur
Envergure 81,6 cm (32.1 in) 29,7 cm (11.7 in)
Poids 2471,0 g (87.16 oz) 705,0 g (24.87 oz)
Régime alimentaire Dabbles for aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and plant material; diet shifts heavily toward invertebrates in breeding … Dives for aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and plant roots in Mediterranean and Central Asian wetlands. Critically …
Taille de la couvée 3-9 3-10
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Greater White-fronted Goose only

White-headed Duck only

Aucun(e)

Greater White-fronted Goose

Breeds on Arctic and subarctic tundra and peatlands. Winters on estuaries, agricultural fields, freshwater marshes, and flooded meadows across Europe, Asia, and North America. One of the most widespread geese.

Song & Call Comparison

Greater White-fronted Goose

Chant

A loud, laughing 'kow-lyuk' or musical 'wah-wah'. Gives a distinctive high-pitched yodeling quality lacking in Greylag. Highly vocal in large winter flocks.

White-headed Duck

Chant

Male produces a mechanical, rapid bill-drumming; female gives a harsh, grating quack. The drumming staccato display is the same pattern as other Oxyura stiff-tails; heard on Eurasian steppe lakes.

Geographic Range & Migration

Greater White-fronted Goose

Breeds in the potholes region of the northern Great Plains; winters in the southern United States and along the Gulf Coast.

White-headed Duck

Breeds in Spain, Turkey, central Asia, and Mongolia. Winters in the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and northern India. Globally endangered.

Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Greater White-fronted Goose

Endangered

White-headed Duck

How to Tell Them Apart

Greater White-fronted Goose

Plumage

Brown-gray body with white forehead patch bordered by white band at bill base. Underparts with bold irregular black bars on belly. Orange bill; orange-yellow legs. Juveniles lack white front and …

White-headed Duck

Plumage

Male has entirely white head with small black crown patch, rich chestnut-brown body, and large bulbous powder-blue bill. Female is brown with pale whitish face divided by dark streak across …

About These Birds

Greater White-fronted Goose

A medium-large goose with a white forehead patch, orange bill, grey-brown plumage, and variable black barring on the belly. Widespread and numerous; one of the most abundant geese in the world. Breeds across the high Arctic; winters in a wide range of temperate wetland and agricultural habitats.

White-headed Duck

A stiff-tailed duck (~705 g) of family Anatidae, males with a distinctive white head and swollen blue bill. Breeds on brackish and freshwater lakes in Spain and Central Asia; winters in Mediterranean and Central Asian wetlands. Dives for aquatic vegetation and invertebrates. Endangered due to hunting, hybridization with introduced Ruddy Duck, and wetland loss.

More Birds to Explore

Explore the Nature FYI Family