Common Shelduck

(Tadorna tadorna)

Order :
Family :
Size :
Weight :
Taxonomy :

Description:

A large and very distinctive, mostly white duck with dished bill. Adult has greenish-black head and neck, and largely white body with chestnut breast-band and black scapular stripe. Female is very similar to male, but slightly duller. Juvenile lacks breast-band and has sooty-brown upperparts.


Distribution:

Uncommon passage migrant through major waterways and lakes in Gilgit-Baltistan, mainly western parts. Lands during cloudy/harsh weather, at lakes, marshes, rivers and streams with fringe vegetation up to 3500m, avoiding turbulent waters.


Behavior:

Forages by digging, scything or dabbling on exposed mud and by head dipping and upending in shallow water; young will also dive for food. Regularly feeds by night. Mostly feeds on aquatic invertebrates; also some small fish and spawn, worms and plant materials like algae, seeds and grain.


Photo Gallery:


Range & Occurrence:

bogb
Resident Species
Summer Breeder
Winter Visitor
Passage Migrant

Distribution Map of Common Shelduck in Gilgit-Baltistan (Status: )


Seasonal Occurrence of Common Shelduck


Resources:

Birds of Pakistan: Helm Field Guides (R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
The Birds of Pakistan (T. J. Roberts)
Birds of the Indian Subcontinent (C. Inskipp, R. Grimmett & T. Inskipp)
Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide (P. Rasmussen & J. Anderton)
Birds of India: Collins Field Guide (N. Arlott)
Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan (S. Ali & S. D. Ripley)
Handbook of the Birds of the World (https://www.hbw.com)
The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World, 6th Edition
iNaturalist BoGB (inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-gilgit-baltistan)
Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (http://fb.me/birdsgb)


*Gallery images on this page are shared from flickr.com, and are copyrighted to their respective creators or owners.

Government of Gilgit-Baltistan Logo Gilgit-Baltistan Parks and Wildlife LogoBirds of Gilgit-Baltistan Logo
This website is a joint effort of Forest, Parks and Wildlife Department, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan and Birds of Gilgit-Baltistan (an indigenous private initiative) to highlight the diverse birdlife found in the region. All the maps, imagery and photographs in this book are provided by the mentioned individuals or entities with appropriate permissions for public use, Government of Gilgit-Baltistan upholds the copyright of these material on behalf of the owners.
Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)
birds of gilgit-baltistan