# Common shelduck (*Tadorna tadorna*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-shelduck  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.04 kg – 1.26 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 1.12 m |
| Lifespan | 24.8 years |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | coastal |
| Egg incubation | 30 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 8.95 |
| Age at maturity | 2 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Generalist |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anatidae
- genus: Tadorna
- species: *Tadorna tadorna* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Anas cornuta*, *Anas familiaris*, *Anas tadorna*, *Tadorna cornuta*, *Tadorna gibbera*, *Tadorna maritima*, *Tadorna schachraman*, *Tadorna vulpanser*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-shelduck