# Ruddy shelduck (*Tadorna ferruginea*)

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

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.1 kg – 1.36 kg |
| Length | 58 cm – 70 cm |
| Wingspan | 1.21 m – 1.45 m |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Omnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 28.8 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 8.5 |
| Age at maturity | 23.9 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| 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 ferruginea* (Pallas, 1764)

Synonyms: *Anas casarca*, *Anas ferruginea*, *Casarca casarca*, *Casarca ferruginea*, *Casarca rutila*, *Tadorna casarca*, *Tadorna rutila*

## Common questions

### 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

- [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: Ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ruddy-shelduck