Common barley vs Laysan Duck

Hordeum vulgare compared with Anas laysanensis

Key Differences

Common barley is Not Evaluated while Laysan Duck is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common barley	Laysan Duck
Kingdom	Plantae (Plants)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Liliopsida (Monocots)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Poales (Grasses)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Poaceae (Grass Family)	Anatidae
Genus	Hordeum	Anas
Species	Hordeum vulgare	Anas laysanensis

Conservation Status

Common barley

NE — Not Evaluated

Laysan Duck

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common barley	Laysan Duck
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common barley

Habitat

Typically found in grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated landscapes.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Sao Tome and Principe), Asia (7 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (4 countries).

Laysan Duck

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common barley

Common barley (<em>Hordeum vulgare</em>) is one of the world's oldest and most widely cultivated cereal grasses, with a cosmopolitan distribution spanning Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, and South America. It thrives in a diverse range of habitats including grasslands, wetlands, forests, and cultivated agricultural fields, demonstrating remarkable ecological adaptability. As a domesticated crop plant, <em>Hordeum vulgare</em> has been selectively bred for thousands of years and is now a staple grain used in food production, animal feed, and the brewing of beer and whisky. The plant typically grows as an annual grass, producing distinctive grain heads with elongated awns. It is particularly tolerant of cool, dry conditions, which has enabled its cultivation at higher altitudes and in regions where other cereals struggle. Barley is rich in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, making it nutritionally significant. Its global distribution reflects both its natural range and extensive human-mediated dispersal. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Laysan Duck

Laysan Duck (Anas laysanensis) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.