Ruddy shelduck
Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas, 1764)
The ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) 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 from 1.1 to 1.364 kg and a wingspan from 1.21 to 1.45 m.
Quick facts about the ruddy shelduck
The ruddy shelduck is an omnivore of wetland habitats with a terrestrial foraging lifestyle, and it is partially migratory. It lays one clutch per year of 8.5 eggs as a representative value, incubation lasts 28.75 days, and it reaches sexual maturity at 2 years.
- Weight
- 1.1 kg – 1.36 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- 58 cm – 70 cmsrc for Length
- Wingspan
- 1.21 m – 1.45 msrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 28.8 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 8.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 23.9 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Reproduction
- Eggssrc for Reproduction
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Partialsrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the ruddy shelduck?
Photos of the ruddy shelduck
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the ruddy shelduck live?
Not recorded
What is the ruddy shelduck?
The ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) is a bird species in the family Anatidae. It is a distinctive waterfowl, 58 to 70 cm (23 to 28 in) in length with a wingspan of 110 to 135 cm (43 to 53 in). It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the tail and the flight feathers in the wings are black, contrasting with the white wing-coverts. It is a migratory bird, wintering in the Indian subcontinent and breeding in southeastern Europe and central Asia, though there are small resident populations in North Africa. It has a loud honking call.
The ruddy shelduck mostly inhabits inland water-bodies such as lakes, reservoirs and rivers. The male and female form a lasting pair bond and the nest may be well away from water, in a crevice or hole in a cliff, tree or similar site. A clutch of about eight eggs is laid and is incubated solely by the female for about four weeks. The young are cared for by both parents and fledge about eight weeks after hatching.
In central and eastern Asia populations are steady or rising, but in Europe they are generally in decline. Altogether, the birds have a wide range and large total population, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed their conservation status as being of least concern.
From the Wikipedia article “Ruddy shelduck” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ruddy_shelduck&oldid=1361980691), 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.
What does the ruddy shelduck sound like?
Is the ruddy shelduck endangered?
The ruddy 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 ruddy shelduck classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusTadorna
- SpeciesTadorna ferruginea (Pallas, 1764)
Synonyms Anas casarca, Anas ferruginea, Casarca casarca, Casarca ferruginea, Casarca rutila, Tadorna casarca, Tadorna rutila
Other names and names in other languages (112)
- شهرمان أحمرArabic
- شهرمانة حمراءArabic
- بط أبو فروةArabic
- Aneda caniellaAragonese
- চাকৈ-চকোৱাAssamese
- corión ferruñosuAsturian
- Qırmızı anqutAzerbaijani
- قیرمیزی آنقوتazb
- Ҡыҙыл өйрәкBashkir
- АгарBelarusian
- Качка-огарBelarusian
- Червен ангъчBulgarian
- Ръждив aнгъчBulgarian
- চখাচখিBangla
- Tadorn rousBreton
- ànec canyellaCatalan
- ЯкшарлыдыMari
- Хӗрлӗ кӑвакалChuvash
- husice rezaváCzech
- Hwyaid Coch yr EithinWelsh
- hwyaden goch yr eithinWelsh
- RostgansGerman
- ΚαστανόπαπιαGreek
- rusta tadornoEsperanto
- Tarro caneloSpanish
- tulipartEstonian
- Paita gorriztaBasque
- آنقوتPersian
- ruostesorsaFinnish
- royðuontFaroese
- Casarca rouxFrench
- canard des BahamasFrench
- Tadorne casarcaFrench
- Garg ruadhIrish
- Seil-lacha ruaIrish
- Pato caneloGalician
- קזרקהHebrew
- קזרקה חלודיתHebrew
- चकवाHindi
- zlatnokrila utvaCroatian
- Zlatokrila utvaCroatian
- vörös ásólúdHungarian
- Կարմիր բադArmenian
- RyðöndIcelandic
- Casarca comuneItalian
- アカツクシガモJapanese
- წითელი იხვიGeorgian
- КъазплъыфэKabardian
- Аатkjn
- СарыалақазKazakh
- Қызыл үйрекKazakh
- ಚಕ್ರವಾಕKannada
- 황오리Korean
- АңырKyrgyz
- RaschtgänsLuxembourgish
- rudoji antisLithuanian
- rudoji urvinė antisLithuanian
- rudā dižpīleLatvian
- лисеста гусковидна паткаMacedonian
- ചക്രവാകംMalayalam
- തങ്കത്താറാവ്Malayalam
- Kuluvert AħmarMaltese
- хондон ангирMongolian
- चक्रवाकMarathi
- ब्राह्मणी बदकMarathi
- rustandNorwegian Bokmål
- RostgoosLow German
- चखेवाNepali
- casarcaDutch
- Ruozmesorzuolo
- ପଣ୍ଡା ହଂସOdia
- ਸੁਰਖ਼ਾਬPunjabi
- kazarka rdzawaPolish
- سرخابWestern Panjabi
- pato-casarcaPortuguese
- Pato-ferrugíneoPortuguese
- tadorna-ferrugíneaPortuguese
- Auca cotschnaRomansh
- Călifar roşuRomanian
- Călifar roșuRomanian
- călifarul roşuRomanian
- огарьRussian
- красная уткаRussian
- О́гарь (кра́сная у́тка)Russian
- Кугас кусYakut
- चक्रवाक (chakravaka)Sanskrit
- RuostaduoršuNorthern Sami
- ruostasuorsáNorthern Sami
- kazarka hrdzaváSlovak
- rjasta kozarkaSlovenian
- KuqaloshjaAlbanian
- Utva zlatokrilaSerbian
- Zlatokrila utva - Златокрила утваSerbian
- rostandSwedish
- சிவப்புத்தாராTamil
- చక్రవాకముTelugu
- เป็ดพม่าThai
- angitTurkish
- AngutTurkish
- Pas Renkli AngıtTurkish
- АнгырTuvinian
- ОгарUkrainian
- огар рудийUkrainian
- oгарUkrainian
- AngʻirtUzbek
- Vịt vàngVietnamese
- קאַזאַרקעYiddish
- רױטגאַנדזYiddish
- 瀆鳧Chinese
- 瀆鳧〔黃麻鴨，赤麻鴨〕Chinese
- 赤麻鸭Chinese
- 黃麻鴨Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the ruddy shelduck
Other species in the same genus Tadorna.
Common shelduck
Tadorna tadorna
Australian shelduck
Tadorna tadornoides
Paradise shelduck
Tadorna variegata
South African shelduck
Tadorna cana
Crested shelduck
Tadorna cristata
CompareRuddy shelduck vs Common shelduckRuddy shelduck vs Australian shelduckRuddy shelduck vs Paradise shelduckRuddy shelduck vs South African 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 ruddy shelduck?
The ruddy shelduck is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup. It belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.
How heavy is a ruddy shelduck?
An adult ruddy shelduck weighs from 1.1 to 1.364 kg, with a representative value of 1.235 kg.
What is the wingspan of the ruddy shelduck?
The ruddy shelduck has a wingspan from 1.21 to 1.45 m, with a representative value of 1.33 m.
What does the ruddy shelduck eat?
The ruddy shelduck is an omnivore.
What habitat does the ruddy shelduck live in?
The ruddy shelduck lives in wetland habitats and has a terrestrial foraging lifestyle.
Is the ruddy shelduck endangered?
No. The ruddy shelduck is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How many eggs does the ruddy shelduck lay?
The ruddy shelduck lays 8.5 eggs per clutch as a representative value, with one clutch per year. Incubation lasts 28.75 days.
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).
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Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ruddy-shelduck
“Ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/ruddy-shelduck.
@misc{ruddy_shelduck_2026,
title = {Ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/ruddy-shelduck},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}