Black Swan vs Australian Shelduck

Cygnus atratus comparé à Tadorna tadornoides

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Black Swan Australian Shelduck
Nom scientifique Cygnus atratus Tadorna tadornoides
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur 130,0 cm (51.2 in)
Envergure 190,0 cm (74.8 in) 70,7 cm (27.8 in)
Poids 6200,0 g (218.70 oz) 1424,5 g (50.25 oz)
Régime alimentaire Aquatic vegetation and algae, supplemented with grain and pasture grasses. Feeds by upending in shallow … Dabbles for aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and plant material in spring; forages in shallow ponds; diet …
Taille de la couvée 4-6 5-19
Population Trend
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Size Comparison

Body Length
Black Swan 130,0 cm
Australian Shelduck
Envergure
Black Swan 190,0 cm
Australian Shelduck 70,7 cm
Poids
Black Swan 6200,0 g
Australian Shelduck 1424,5 g
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Black Swan only

Aucun(e)

Australian Shelduck only

Black Swan

Lakes, rivers, swamps, and coastal waters across Australia. Also found in ornamental lakes in parks.

Australian Shelduck

Inland salt lakes, ephemeral lakes, estuaries, coastal bays, and agricultural dams in southern Australia from Queensland west to Western Australia. Nests in burrows, hollow logs, and tree cavities.

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Song & Call Comparison

Black Swan

Chant

Gives a musical bugling 'boo-boo-boo' in flight and softer honking on water. Less vocal than Mute Swan; produces a baying call when alarmed. Wings whistle softly in flight.

Australian Shelduck

Chant

Male gives a whistling 'zzzeet'; female gives a loud, deep cackling 'uk-uk-uk'. Loud, far-carrying calls from Australian wetlands. Considered one of the noisier shelducks.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Black Swan

Australia, primarily in the southeast and southwest. Introduced populations in New Zealand, Japan, and western Europe.

Australian Shelduck

Breeds across the Palearctic from Iceland and western Europe east to Siberia; winters in Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Black Swan

Least Concern

Australian Shelduck

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How to Tell Them Apart

Black Swan

Plumage

Almost entirely black with white flight feathers visible in flight. Red bill with a white band near the tip. Dark red to reddish-brown iris.

Bec

Bright red bill with a pale tip and prominent white band

Australian Shelduck

Plumage

Males dark chestnut with black head showing green gloss; white neck collar. White inner wing with iridescent green speculum. Females have white eye-ring and white facial area. Chestnut breast; black …

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About These Birds

Black Swan

The black swan was once considered impossible by Europeans who believed all swans were white, making it a famous philosophical example of inductive reasoning failure. It is the state emblem of Western Australia. Black swans form lifelong pair bonds and both parents share in incubation and care of cygnets.

Australian Shelduck

A large shelduck with a dark bottle-green head, chestnut breast band in females, and dark body with white wing coverts. Common in southern Australia. One of Australia's largest ducks. Gregarious and conspicuous; forms flocks on inland salt lakes and coastal bays.

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Related Comparisons

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