Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea Scientific name definitions

The Ruddy Shelduck is a large duck with overall orange-brown plumage that fades to a creamy white on its head and rump. Its wings exhibit a distinctive contrast between the black flight feathers and white coverts. Its distribution extends across Asia, the Middle East, eastern Europe, Ethiopia, and northwestern Africa, and it has recently expanded its breeding range to western Europe and the Canary Islands (Spain).

This species is highly adaptable and occurs from sea level to 4,800 m in elevation across a wide variety of landscapes including coastal lowlands, deserts, steppes, high plateaus, and mountains. It occupies rivers, streams, deltas, marshes, ponds, and lakes, and will use freshwater, brackish, and saline wetlands. It has further benefited from its adaptability to manmade wetlands.

Populations can be sedentary, semi-nomadic, or migratory. Morocco hosts a resident population, while in Central Asia, populations traverse the Himalaya Mountains and the Gobi Desert as they migrate to and from breeding grounds in Mongolia.

Consistent with its adaptable nature, the Ruddy Shelduck takes advantage of a variety of nest sites. It may select a tree hole, an abandoned fox den, a rock crevice, or even the attic of a building. It tends to be monogamous, and pair bonds may last several years. Southern populations can start laying in early February, while northern ones start laying eggs in mid-April. Clutch size varies from 8 to 13 eggs, with conspecific brood parasitism sometimes evident in larger clutches. The male remains near the nest site during the incubation period, and both parents participate in the care and protection of offspring. Once ducklings hatch, the parents move the brood to the nearest wetland, which can be several kilometers away from the nest site. Adults often cooperatively surveil multiple broods.

Designated by the IUCN as a species of least concern, the Ruddy Shelduck is an abundant breeder that adapts well to manmade habitats like reservoirs. It is considered sacred in Buddhism, and symbolizes marital fidelity throughout its range in Asia, which provides it a culturally motivated level of protection. However, some populations are experiencing decline because of illegal hunting. The small population colonizing the Canary Islands has faced predation from introduced cats (Felis catus) and dogs (Canis familiaris).

Despite its ubiquity, little is known about potential genetic structuring across its various populations and their past and present connectivity.