Eastern Spot-billed Duck

Anas zonorhyncha Swinhoe, 1866

55–63 cmLength83–95 cmWingspan1.2 kgWeight

Its black bill has a bright yellow tip, and the long neck and yellow bill tip are conspicuous at rest.

Busiest months: November–January · Most records: China, Japan, South Korea

Looks like Indian Spot-billed Duck, Mallard

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Bill black with a bright yellow tip
Body gray with scaling, head and neck paler
Speculum blue
Legs and feet bright orange

Male, female and young

Juvenile more rufous and duller than adult; male has no eclipse plumage.

Voice

Calls resemble those of Mallard: female gives loud quacking calls; male’s call is lower and quieter.

Similar species

Indian Spot-billed Duck

This species is darker and more rufous than Indian Spot-billed Duck, lacks a red bill patch, and has a blue speculum.

Mallard

Chicks resemble those of Mallard, but have a broader eyestripe; calls are also similar to those of Mallard.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: November–January · Most records: China, Japan, South Korea

Eastern Spot-billed Duck has been recorded at 1,146 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 13 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Taipei – Tianliaoyang WetlandTaiwan (China)4,654 records
Lizejian IBA – 52-Jia WetlandTaiwan (China)2,122 records
Hsinchu Coast IBA – Gangnan Jincheng LakeTaiwan (China)2,100 records

More places

Edogawa Ward – Kasai Rinkai Park / Kasai Kaihin ParkJapan2,072 records
Huajiang IBA – Huajiang Wild Duck Nature Park (Huajiang to Zhongxing Bridge)Taiwan (China)2,022 records
Kinmen – Lake Ci Fishponds Birding AreaChina1,966 records
Zhu'an IBA – XiapuTaiwan (China)1,629 records
Guandu IBA – Nature ParkTaiwan (China)1,593 records
Zhu'an IBA – Diaobie PondsTaiwan (China)1,578 records
Hualien River Estuary IBATaiwan (China)1,495 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China Japan South Korea Mongolia India Russia Philippines Nepal

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The eastern spot-billed duck or Chinese spot-billed duck (Anas zonorhyncha) is a species of dabbling duck that breeds in East and Southeast Asia. This species was formerly considered a subspecies of the Indian spot-billed duck and both were referred to as the spot-billed duck (A. poecilorhyncha). The name is derived from the yellow spot on the bill.

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