Wandering Whistling-duck vs Australian Shelduck

Dendrocygna arcuata comparé à Tadorna tadornoides

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Wandering Whistling-duck Australian Shelduck
Nom scientifique Dendrocygna arcuata Tadorna tadornoides
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 37,2 cm (14.6 in) 70,7 cm (27.8 in)
Poids 779,5 g (27.50 oz) 1424,5 g (50.25 oz)
Régime alimentaire Eats grasses, sedges, and aquatic plants in tundra; winter diet of coastal salt marsh grasses … Dabbles for aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and plant material in spring; forages in shallow ponds; diet …
Taille de la couvée 6-15 5-19
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Wandering Whistling-duck only

Aucun(e)

Australian Shelduck 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.

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

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.

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

Wandering Whistling-duck

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

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

Wandering Whistling-duck

Least Concern

Australian Shelduck

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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.

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

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.

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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