Common shelduck
Tadorna tadorna (Linnaeus, 1758)
The common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna), also called the shelduck, is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes. It is a medium-sized bird with an adult body mass of 1.15 kg, from 1.04 to 1.26 kg across sources, and a wingspan of 1.12 m.
Quick facts about the common shelduck
The common shelduck is a carnivorous aquatic predator of coastal habitats, a generalist in its foraging stratum and partially migratory, with a geographic range of 9,435,000 km². It lays one clutch per year of 8.95 eggs, which are incubated for 30 days, and reaches sexual maturity at 2 years; it is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.
- Weight
- 1.04 kg – 1.26 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 1.12 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 24.8 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Aquatic predatorsrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- coastalsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 30 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 8.95src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 2 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Generalistsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the common shelduck?
Photos of the common shelduck
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the common shelduck live?
Not recorded
What is the common shelduck?
The common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) is a waterfowl species of the shelduck genus Tadorna. It is widespread and common in the Palearctic, in Europe and northwest Africa mainly breeding on temperate coasts, saline pools and estuaries, and in Asia on inland salt lakes; increasingly it is also using open freshwater habitats inland. Wintering is in temperate to subtropical regions.
From the Wikipedia article “Common shelduck” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_shelduck&oldid=1369667709), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the common shelduck endangered?
The common shelduck is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the common shelduck classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusTadorna
- SpeciesTadorna tadorna (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Anas cornuta, Anas familiaris, Anas tadorna, Tadorna cornuta, Tadorna gibbera, Tadorna maritima, Tadorna schachraman, Tadorna vulpanser
Other names and names in other languages (108)
- COSHEnglish
- ShelduckEnglish
- شهرمانةArabic
- الشهرمانArabic
- شهرمان شائعArabic
- شهرمان مألوفArabic
- Aneda blanquinegraAragonese
- Coríu la BasaAsturian
- Ala ördəkAzerbaijani
- АласабырBashkir
- Качка пярэстаяBelarusian
- Пярэстая качкаBelarusian
- Бял ангъчBulgarian
- Бял aнгъчBulgarian
- শাহ চখাBangla
- Tadorn roueelBreton
- ànec blancCatalan
- Ànnera BlancaCatalan
- Ҫӗр кӑвакалӗChuvash
- husice liščíCzech
- Hwyaid yr EithinWelsh
- hwyaden yr eithinWelsh
- BrandenteGerman
- BrandgansGerman
- ΒαρβάραGreek
- ΑλάουρτοςGreek
- ordinara tadornoEsperanto
- Verdkapa tadornoEsperanto
- Tarro blancoSpanish
- ristpartEstonian
- Paita arruntBasque
- تنجهPersian
- ristisorsaFinnish
- TjaldursontFaroese
- kápureyð ontFaroese
- Tadorne de BelonFrench
- BaraganNorthern Frisian
- BercheinWestern Frisian
- Lacha bhreachIrish
- Cra-geadhScottish Gaelic
- Crà-ghèadhScottish Gaelic
- cràdh-ghèadhScottish Gaelic
- cràdh-gheòidhScottish Gaelic
- seil-lachaScottish Gaelic
- Pato brancoGalician
- Thunnag vreckManx
- Laagh chryss-ruyManx
- સફેદ સુરખાબGujarati
- טדורנהHebrew
- טדורנה ירוקת ראשHebrew
- utvaCroatian
- bütykös ásólúdHungarian
- ԽայտաբադArmenian
- BrandöndIcelandic
- VolpocaItalian
- ツクシガモJapanese
- ამლაყი იხვიGeorgian
- КъазкъуэлэнKabardian
- Ала хасkjn
- ИталақазKazakh
- 혹부리오리Korean
- Werdeka golanKurdish
- Hos eythynCornish
- BrandgänsLuxembourgish
- urvinė antisLithuanian
- paprastoji urvinė antisLithuanian
- Sāmsalas pīleLatvian
- Sāmsalas dižpīleLatvian
- Гусковида паткаMacedonian
- гусковидна паткаMacedonian
- Обична гусковидна паткаMacedonian
- Kuluvert tas-SalibMaltese
- АнхидалMongolian
- gravandNorwegian Bokmål
- bergeendDutch
- RingandPicard
- oharPolish
- عام شیلڈکWestern Panjabi
- tadornaPortuguese
- Pato-brancoPortuguese
- tadorna-brancaPortuguese
- tadorna-comumPortuguese
- Anda faschadaRomansh
- Călifar albRomanian
- călifarul albRomanian
- пеганкаRussian
- КазаркаRusyn
- Эриэн кусYakut
- RuossaduoršuNorthern Sami
- ruossasuorsáNorthern Sami
- kazarka pestráSlovak
- Duplinska gosSlovenian
- duplinska kozarkaSlovenian
- shotaAlbanian
- laroshjaAlbanian
- Šarena utvaSerbian
- Шарена утваSerbian
- Šarena utva - Шарена утваSerbian
- เป็ดเชลดักThai
- sunaTurkish
- Ала-шокар ангырTuvinian
- ГалагазUkrainian
- галагаз євразійськийUkrainian
- Vịt khoangVietnamese
- 翘鼻麻鸭Chinese
- 翹鼻麻鴨Chinese
- 花鳧Chinese
- 花鳧〔翹鼻麻鴨〕Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common shelduck
Other species in the same genus Tadorna.
Ruddy shelduck
Tadorna ferruginea
Mountain duck
Tadorna tadornoides
Pari
Tadorna variegata
Cape shelduck
Tadorna cana
Crested shelduck
Tadorna cristata
CompareCommon shelduck vs Ruddy shelduckCommon shelduck vs Mountain duckCommon shelduck vs PariCommon shelduck vs Cape shelduck
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the common shelduck?
The common shelduck is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup. It belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.
How heavy is the common shelduck?
The common shelduck has an adult body mass of 1.15 kg, with values from 1.04 to 1.26 kg reported by sources. Its wingspan is 1.12 m.
What does the common shelduck eat?
The common shelduck is a carnivore in the aquatic predator diet category.
What habitat does the common shelduck live in?
The common shelduck lives in coastal habitats. It is partially migratory.
Is the common shelduck endangered?
No. The common shelduck is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does the common shelduck live?
The common shelduck has a lifespan of 24.75 years, with up to 24.8 years reported by sources.
How many eggs does the common shelduck lay?
The common shelduck lays 8.95 eggs per clutch and one clutch per year. The eggs are incubated for 30 days.
Who named the common shelduck?
The scientific name Tadorna tadorna is attributed to (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-shelduck
“Common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-shelduck.
@misc{common_shelduck_2026,
title = {Common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-shelduck},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}