Mute Swan vs Garganey
Cygnus olor comparé à Spatula querquedula
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribut | Mute Swan | Garganey |
|---|---|---|
| Nom scientifique | Cygnus olor | Spatula querquedula |
| Ordre | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Famille | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Statut de conservation | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Longueur | 152,0 cm (59.8 in) | — |
| Envergure | 235,0 cm (92.5 in) | 37,6 cm (14.8 in) |
| Poids | 11000,0 g (388.01 oz) | 401,25 g (14.15 oz) |
| Régime alimentaire | Submerged aquatic vegetation, algae, and grass. Feeds by upending in shallow water, reaching depths of … | Eats seeds, plant matter, and aquatic invertebrates; dabbles in shallow wetlands; diet shifts toward invertebrates … |
| Taille de la couvée | 5-7 | 6-14 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Mute Swan
Lakes, slow rivers, estuaries, and coastal lagoons. Often associated with parks and ornamental waters in Europe.
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
Mute Swan
Despite its name, not truly mute: gives hissing snorts and low grunting when threatened. Wings produce a loud rhythmic whistling throbbing sound in 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
Mute Swan
Native to Europe and western Asia. Introduced to North America, South Africa, 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
Mute Swan
Garganey
How to Tell Them Apart
Mute Swan
All-white plumage in adults. Cygnets are grey-brown, gradually whitening over the first year. Graceful S-curved neck posture is distinctive.
Orange bill with a prominent black knob at the base, larger in males
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
Mute Swan
The mute swan is one of the heaviest flying birds, with males weighing up to 14 kg. Despite its name, it is not truly mute, producing hissing, grunting, and snorting sounds. Mute swans form lifelong pair bonds and their aggressive defense of nesting territory is well known.
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.