Spotted Whistling-duck vs Common Shelduck

Dendrocygna guttata comparé à Tadorna tadorna

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Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribut Spotted Whistling-duck Common Shelduck
Nom scientifique Dendrocygna guttata Tadorna tadorna
Ordre Anseriformes Anseriformes
Famille Anatidae Anatidae
Statut de conservation Least Concern Least Concern
Longueur
Envergure 41,3 cm (16.3 in) 62,8 cm (24.7 in)
Poids 677,5 g (23.90 oz) 1035,5 g (36.53 oz)
Régime alimentaire Primarily herbivorous; grazes tundra grasses and sedges; winters on coastal marshes and farmland, switching to … Eats seeds, leaves, and aquatic invertebrates; dabbles in shallow water; diet broadly omnivorous and varies …
Taille de la couvée 10-11 3-18
Population Trend
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Habitat Comparison

Habitats partagés

Spotted Whistling-duck only

Common Shelduck only

Aucun(e)

Spotted Whistling-duck

Freshwater wetlands, rice fields, streams, and forest pools in New Guinea, Sulawesi, the Philippines, and Moluccas. Often found near forested rivers and seasonal swamps at low elevations.

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.

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Song & Call Comparison

Spotted Whistling-duck

Chant

A musical, high whistle similar to other whistling-ducks. Call is softer and less far-carrying than White-faced or Black-bellied species. Given in flight and on water.

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.

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Geographic Range & Migration

Spotted Whistling-duck

Ranges widely across sub-Saharan Africa in open woodland and savanna. Largely sedentary with local seasonal movements to water.

Common Shelduck

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

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Statut de conservation

Least Concern

Spotted Whistling-duck

Least Concern

Common Shelduck

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How to Tell Them Apart

Spotted Whistling-duck

Plumage

Dark brown above; head and neck dark brown. Underparts heavily spotted white on dark brown ground, giving spotted appearance. Flanks with bold white spots. Pink-red bill and legs. Sexes similar.

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 …

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About These Birds

Spotted Whistling-duck

A small dark brown whistling-duck with bold white spots on its flanks, orange-red bill and legs, and a pale face. Found in tropical wetlands of New Guinea, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Often found near freshwater streams and flooded grassland. Less gregarious than other whistling-ducks.

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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