Mallard vs Common Shelduck

Anas platyrhynchos 对比 Tadorna tadorna

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Side-by-Side Comparison

属性 Mallard Common Shelduck
学名 Anas platyrhynchos Tadorna tadorna
Anseriformes Anseriformes
Anatidae Anatidae
保护状况 Least Concern Least Concern
体长 58.0 cm (22.8 in)
翼展 90.0 cm (35.4 in) 62.8 cm (24.7 in)
体重 1100.0 g (38.80 oz) 1035.5 g (36.53 oz)
食性 Omnivorous — aquatic plants, seeds, insects, crustaceans, and mollusks. Feeds by dabbling, upending, and grazing … Eats seeds, leaves, and aquatic invertebrates; dabbles in shallow water; diet broadly omnivorous and varies …
产卵数 4-18 3-18
Population Trend
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Size Comparison

Body Length
Mallard 58.0 cm
Common Shelduck
翼展
Mallard 90.0 cm
Common Shelduck 62.8 cm
体重
Mallard 1100.0 g
Common Shelduck 1035.5 g
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Habitat Comparison

共同栖息地

Mallard only

Common Shelduck only

Mallard

Nearly any wetland habitat including lakes, rivers, ponds, marshes, estuaries, and urban park ponds.

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

Mallard

鸣唱

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.

Common Shelduck

鸣唱

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

Mallard

Native across the Northern Hemisphere in North America, Europe, and Asia. Introduced to Australia and New Zealand.

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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保护状况

Least Concern

Mallard

Least Concern

Common Shelduck

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How to Tell Them Apart

Mallard

羽毛

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

Common Shelduck

羽毛

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

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.

Common Shelduck

翘鼻麻鸭是欧亚大陆西部沿海地区最常见的大型鸭子,以其鲜红色的嘴部(雄鸟具肉瘤)、黑绿色头部、栗色胸带和白色体羽的对比色彩著称,外形华丽。繁殖于欧洲和中亚,越冬于地中海、北非和中国南部。常在兔子洞或沙丘中营巢,以软体动物(主要是泥螺)和甲壳类为食。

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