Wandering Whistling-duck vs Scaly-sided Merganser

Dendrocygna arcuata comparé à Mergus squamatus

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Wandering Whistling-duck Scaly-sided Merganser
Nom scientifique Dendrocygna arcuata Mergus squamatus
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Endangered
Longueur
Envergure 37,2 cm (14.6 in) 51,2 cm (20.2 in)
Poids 779,5 g (27.50 oz) 1145,8 g (40.42 oz)
Régime alimentaire Eats grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants in tundra; winter diet of coastal salt marsh grasses … Dives for fish in fast-flowing East Asian rivers. Endangered; highly piscivorous with serrated bill adapted …
Taille de la couvée 6-15 4-14
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Wandering Whistling-duck only

Aucun(e)

Scaly-sided Merganser only

Wandering Whistling-duck

Tropical freshwater marshes, flooded grasslands, swamps, and lake margins from the Philippines and Indonesia through Papua New Guinea to northern and eastern Australia. Nomadic following wet season flooding.

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Song & Call Comparison

Wandering Whistling-duck

Chant

A soft whistle 'whi-whi-whi' in flight. Less vocal than other whistling-ducks; flocks tend to be quieter. Given at dawn and dusk during flight to roosting or feeding areas.

Scaly-sided Merganser

Chant

Male gives a quiet, low grunting call; female produces a guttural, croaking series. Endangered; calls are poorly known; similar to Red-breasted Merganser but quieter in Manchurian forest rivers.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Wandering Whistling-duck

Breeds in Arctic and subarctic regions; winters at sea around the Antarctic pack ice, one of the longest migrations known.

Scaly-sided Merganser

Breeds in southern Russia, northern China, and the Russian Far East. Winters in southern China and Korea. Found on fast-flowing forested rivers.

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Wandering Whistling-duck

Endangered

Scaly-sided Merganser

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How to Tell Them Apart

Wandering Whistling-duck

Plumage

Rich chestnut-brown head and neck; dark brown back. Flanks rufous with pale buff streaks and dark spots. Belly blackish. Long, dark pinkish legs. Upright posture typical of whistling-ducks. Sexes similar.

Scaly-sided Merganser

Plumage

Male has iridescent dark green head with long flat crest, white body with distinctive black scaly pattern on flanks, and black back with white patches. Female has brownish-red crested head …

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About These Birds

Wandering Whistling-duck

A medium-sized whistling-duck with rufous-brown body, dark brown back, pale buff underparts, and a chestnut collar. Found in tropical wetlands from Indonesia to Australia and Pacific islands. Highly social and nomadic. Forages by dabbling and diving in shallow freshwater.

Scaly-sided Merganser

A medium-large merganser (~1.1 kg) in family Anatidae, distinguished by scaly flank patterning and a shaggy crest. Breeds along fast, clear rivers in old-growth forests of far eastern Russia and China; winters in rivers of East and Southeast Asia. Feeds on fish. Endangered due to deforestation, river pollution, and human disturbance of nesting sites.

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