Lesser Whistling-duck vs Mandarin Duck

Dendrocygna javanica comparé à Aix galericulata

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Lesser Whistling-duck Mandarin Duck
Nom scientifique Dendrocygna javanica Aix galericulata
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur 44,0 cm (17.3 in)
Envergure 38,8 cm (15.3 in) 70,0 cm (27.6 in)
Poids 525,0 g (18.52 oz) 570,0 g (20.11 oz)
Régime alimentaire Grazes subarctic grasses and rushes; migratory; winters on estuarine mudflats and coastal grasslands eating eelgrass … Seeds, acorns, grains, aquatic plants, insects, snails, and small fish. Forages by dabbling, walking, and …
Taille de la couvée 7-17 7-14
Population Trend
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Size Comparison

Body Length
Lesser Whistling-duck
Mandarin Duck 44,0 cm
Envergure
Lesser Whistling-duck 38,8 cm
Mandarin Duck 70,0 cm
Poids
Lesser Whistling-duck 525,0 g
Mandarin Duck 570,0 g
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Lesser Whistling-duck only

Mandarin Duck only

Lesser Whistling-duck

Freshwater wetlands, lakes, rice paddies, mangroves, and slow rivers across South and Southeast Asia from India through southern China to Borneo and Indonesia. Common near cultivated land and human settlements.

Mandarin Duck

Wooded lakes, rivers, and ponds surrounded by dense forest. Unlike most ducks, regularly perches in trees and nests in tree cavities.

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Song & Call Comparison

Lesser Whistling-duck

Chant

A softer, higher-pitched whistle than other Dendrocygna. Call is a quick 'we-we' given in flight. Smaller size reflected in higher-pitched and thinner quality of call.

Mandarin Duck

Chant

Male gives a low whistled 'hib' or 'weep'. Female utters a soft quacking 'kek'. Generally quiet and secretive. No loud territorial song; vocalizations subtle and brief.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Lesser Whistling-duck

Breeds on tundra of northern Canada and Alaska; winters on the Pacific coast from California to Mexico and Central America.

Mandarin Duck

Native to East Asia including eastern Russia, China, Japan, and Korea. Feral populations established in Britain and western Europe.

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Lesser Whistling-duck

Least Concern

Mandarin Duck

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How to Tell Them Apart

Lesser Whistling-duck

Plumage

Warm chestnut-brown overall; head and neck brown; upperparts dark brown. Chestnut rump and upper-tail conspicuous in flight. Flanks chestnut with pale streaks. Bill and legs dark gray. Sexes similar.

Mandarin Duck

Plumage

Breeding males have an elaborate pattern of orange, green, white, and purple with distinctive orange sail feathers on the back. Females are grey-brown with a white eye-ring and stripe.

Bec

Small red bill in breeding males, pinkish in females

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About These Birds

Lesser Whistling-duck

A small warm brown whistling-duck with chestnut upper-tail coverts, a pale face, and dark brown cap. The most widespread and common whistling-duck in Asia. Found in freshwater wetlands from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia. Nests in holes in trees and sometimes in thatched roofs.

Mandarin Duck

The mandarin duck is widely considered the most beautiful duck in the world. In East Asian culture, mandarin ducks symbolize love and fidelity because they form strong pair bonds. Unlike most ducks, mandarins nest in tree holes up to 9 meters above the ground, and day-old ducklings must leap to the ground.

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