Comb Duck vs Scaled Fruiteater

Sarkidiornis sylvicola compared with Ampelioides tschudii

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Comb Duck	Scaled Fruiteater
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Passeriformes (Songbirds)
Family	Anatidae	Cotingidae
Genus	Sarkidiornis	Ampelioides
Species	Sarkidiornis sylvicola	Ampelioides tschudii

Evolutionary Relationship

Comb Duck and Scaled Fruiteater share a common ancestor at the Class level: Aves. (Birds)

Conservation Status

Comb Duck

LC — Least Concern

Scaled Fruiteater

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Comb Duck	Scaled Fruiteater
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Comb Duck

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Norway, and Venezuela.

Scaled Fruiteater

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, Norway, and Venezuela.

Comb Duck

<em>Sarkidiornis sylvicola</em>, the South American comb duck, is a large waterfowl in the family Anatidae, assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It inhabits tropical and subtropical wetlands, including flooded grasslands, marshes, rivers, and lakes in lowland South America, with occurrence records from Colombia, Venezuela, and associated countries. The species is recognized by the conspicuous knob or comb on the bill of adult males, a secondary sexual characteristic that distinguishes it from the closely related African comb duck (<em>Sarkidiornis melanotos</em>). <em>S. sylvicola</em> is a strong flier that undertakes local seasonal movements in response to water availability and flooding patterns. It nests in tree cavities and forages on aquatic vegetation, seeds, and invertebrates in shallow water and flooded fields. The species maintains a stable population and is not considered threatened.

Scaled Fruiteater

Scaled Fruiteater (Ampelioides tschudii) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇳🇴 Norway 🇻🇪 Venezuela