Ruddy Shelduck
Photo: Original: Rohit Sharma, this edit: MPF · CC BY-SA 4.0

Ducks, Swans, and Geese

Ruddy Shelduck

Tadorna ferruginea

LCLeast Concern
Family
Ducks, Swans, and Geese (Anatidae)
Order
Anseriformes

Overview

The ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) is a bird species in the family Anatidae. It is a distinctive waterfowl, 58 to 70 cm (23 to 28 in) in length with a wingspan of 110 to 135 cm (43 to 53 in). It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the tail and the flight feathers in the wings are black, contrasting with the white wing-coverts. It is a migratory bird, wintering in the Indian subcontinent and breeding in southeastern Europe and central Asia, though there are small resident populations in North Africa.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Breeds Iberian Peninsula and Mediterranean northern Africa eastward through southern Russia to eastern China and in the south through Türkiye to Tibetan Plateau including Ladakh; winters to Ethiopia, southern India, and southeastern Asia; introduced in central Europe and the Canary Islands, and appears frequently elsewhere.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.