Greater White-fronted Goose vs Common Shelduck

Anser albifrons comparé à Tadorna tadorna

Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Greater White-fronted Goose Common Shelduck
Nom scientifique Anser albifrons Tadorna tadorna
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 81,6 cm (32.1 in) 62,8 cm (24.7 in)
Poids 2471,0 g (87.16 oz) 1035,5 g (36.53 oz)
Régime alimentaire Dabbles for aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and plant material; diet shifts heavily toward invertebrates in breeding … --
Taille de la couvée 3-9 3-18
Population Trend

Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Greater White-fronted Goose only

Common Shelduck only

Aucun(e)

Greater White-fronted Goose

Breeds on Arctic and subarctic tundra and peatlands. Winters on estuaries, agricultural fields, freshwater marshes, and flooded meadows across Europe, Asia, and North America. One of the most widespread geese.

Common Shelduck

Coastal estuaries, mudflats, saltmarshes, sand dunes, and inland saline lakes from northwest Europe east across Eurasia to China. Winters mainly on tidal estuaries and coastal wetlands. Nests in burrows.

Song & Call Comparison

Greater White-fronted Goose

Chant

A loud, laughing 'kow-lyuk' or musical 'wah-wah'. Gives a distinctive high-pitched yodeling quality lacking in Greylag. Highly vocal in large winter flocks.

Common Shelduck

Chant

Male gives a whistled 'wheee'; female gives a cackling series of rapid nasal 'ak-ak-ak' notes. One of the most sexually dimorphic calls of any shelduck species.

Geographic Range & Migration

Greater White-fronted Goose

Breeds in the potholes region of the northern Great Plains; winters in the southern United States and along the Gulf Coast.

Common Shelduck

Breeds in Siberian tundra; winters in eastern and southern Africa, and in South and Southeast Asia. Trans-hemispheric migrant.

Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Greater White-fronted Goose

Least Concern

Common Shelduck

How to Tell Them Apart

Greater White-fronted Goose

Plumage

Brown-gray body with white forehead patch bordered by white band at bill base. Underparts with bold irregular black bars on belly. Orange bill; orange-yellow legs. Juveniles lack white front and …

Common Shelduck

Plumage

White body with dark green head, broad chestnut breastband, and black scapular stripes. Red bill with basal knob in males. Green speculum and black wingtips. Underparts white with black belly …

About These Birds

Greater White-fronted Goose

A medium-large goose with a white forehead patch, orange bill, grey-brown plumage, and variable black barring on the belly. Widespread and numerous; one of the most abundant geese in the world. Breeds across the high Arctic; winters in a wide range of temperate wetland and agricultural habitats.

Common Shelduck

A large distinctive shelduck with a white body, dark green head, broad chestnut breast band, and a bright red bill with a knob in males. Common along European and Asian coasts and estuaries. Nests in rabbit burrows or hollow trees. Large moult migrations concentrate in Germany's Wadden Sea.

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