Greater Scaup vs Blue-billed Teal

Aythya marila comparé à Spatula hottentota

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Greater Scaup Blue-billed Teal
Nom scientifique Aythya marila Spatula hottentota
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 42,7 cm (16.8 in) 29,4 cm (11.6 in)
Poids 984,0 g (34.71 oz) 269,2 g (9.50 oz)
Régime alimentaire Eats molluscs, crustaceans, and aquatic invertebrates in coastal and freshwater habitats; diet shifts between invertebrate … Feeds on seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; filter-feeds in shallow water; broadly omnivorous and seasonally …
Taille de la couvée 4-12 5-12
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Greater Scaup only

Blue-billed Teal only

Aucun(e)

Greater Scaup

Breeds on tundra and boreal lakes in the Arctic and subarctic across Eurasia and North America. Winters in large numbers on coastal bays, estuaries, and large lakes in temperate regions.

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

Greater Scaup

Chant

Male gives a low, purring wheeze; female produces a harsh, rolling quacking sequence. Calls are very similar to Lesser Scaup but slightly lower-pitched; heard on open ocean bays in winter.

Blue-billed Teal

Chant

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

Greater Scaup

Breeds in the high Arctic of North America; winters offshore on the Atlantic coast from Labrador to South Carolina.

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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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Greater Scaup

Least Concern

Blue-billed Teal

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How to Tell Them Apart

Greater Scaup

Plumage

Males have glossy green-black rounded head; white flanks and belly; black breast and undertail; gray back. Yellow eye. Bill blue-gray. Females dark brown with white face patch around bill. Longer …

Blue-billed Teal

Plumage

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

Greater Scaup

A medium-sized diving duck. Males have a rounded glossy green-tinged head, white flanks, and black breast; females are brown with white around the bill. Similar to Lesser Scaup but told apart by head shape and nail width. Found on large open water bodies.

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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