Common Shelduck

Tadorna tadorna

© 2025
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1 recent observation

Brief #

Reddish-pink bill, pink feet, a white body with chestnut patches and a black belly, and a dark green head and neck.

Synonyms #

  • Tarro blanco (Spanish)
  • Pato branco (Galician)

Red List Status #

The Common Shelduck is unlikely to become extinct in the near future.
Find out more about IUCN's Red List program here

Description #

A striking bird, with a reddish-pink bill, pink feet, a white body with chestnut patches and a black belly, and a dark green head and neck. The wing coverts are white, the primary remiges black, and the secondaries green (only showing in flight) and chestnut. The underwings are almost entirely white. Sexes are similar, but the female is smaller, with some white facial markings, while the male is particularly crisply coloured in the breeding season, his bill bright red and bearing a prominent knob at the forehead. Ducklings are white, with black cap, hindneck and wing and back patches. Juveniles are similarly coloured, greyish above and mostly white below, but already have the adult's wing pattern.

Measurements #

Length: 58 - 65 cm
Wingspan: 1.1 - 1.3 m
Weight: 0.85 - 1.4 kg

Similar species #