Mallard vs Garganey
Anas platyrhynchos comparé à Spatula querquedula
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | Mallard | Garganey |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Anas platyrhynchos | Spatula querquedula |
| Ordre | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Famille | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | 58,0 cm (22.8 in) | — |
| Envergure | 90,0 cm (35.4 in) | 37,6 cm (14.8 in) |
| Poids | 1100,0 g (38.80 oz) | 401,25 g (14.15 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | Omnivorous — aquatic plants, seeds, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. Feeds by dabbling, upending, and grazing … | Eats seeds, plant matter, and aquatic invertebrates; dabbles in shallow wetlands; diet shifts toward invertebrates … |
| Taille de la couvée | 4-18 | 6-14 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Mallard
Nearly any wetland habitat including lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes, estuaries, and urban park ponds.
Garganey
Breeds on freshwater marshes, flooded meadows, and lake margins in Eurasia from Europe east to Siberia. Winters across sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian subcontinent, and Southeast Asia in wetlands of all kinds.
Song & Call Comparison
Mallard
Female gives the classic 'quack-quack-quack', descending in pitch. Male utters soft nasal 'raeb-raeb'. Both give a high 'gag-gag-gag' when alarmed or taking flight.
Garganey
Male produces a distinctive mechanical rattle or craking sound; female gives a subdued quack. The rattling male call is unlike any other teal and immediately diagnostic.
Geographic Range & Migration
Mallard
Native across the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe, and Asia. Introduced to Australia and New Zealand.
Garganey
Breeds across the Palearctic; winters from western Europe and North Africa east through South Asia to Southeast Asia.
Statut de conservation
Mallard
Garganey
How to Tell Them Apart
Mallard
Breeding males have an iridescent green head, white neck ring, chestnut breast, and grey body. Females are mottled brown. Both sexes show a blue speculum bordered by white.
Broad, flat bill — yellow-green in males, orange-brown in females
Garganey
Breeding males have chocolate-brown head with sweeping white supercilium. Blue-gray forewing; green speculum with white border. Gray flanks with white vermiculations. Females brown with white loral stripe.
About These Birds
Mallard
The mallard is the ancestor of most domestic duck breeds and the most abundant and widespread dabbling duck in the world. Males perform elaborate courtship displays including head-bobbing and whistle-grunt calls. Mallards are highly adaptable, thriving in both wilderness and urban environments.
Garganey
A small migratory teal. Males are unmistakable with a broad white supercilium, chocolate-brown head, and bluish-grey wing coverts. The only Eurasian duck that is fully migratory, wintering in Africa and South Asia. Breeds across Eurasia; one of the most long-distance migrant ducks.