Common Shelduck

Tadorna tadorna (Linnaeus, 1758)

60 cmLength112 cmWingspan1.1 kgWeight

This conspicuous duck has a white body, a dark head with a green metallic gloss and a red bill, with a red knob at the base of the bill in the male.

Busiest months: April–May · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Head and upper neck blackish-brown with a green metallic gloss
Body white; black primaries and green-tinged secondaries visible in flight
A single chestnut band across the breast
Bill red

Male, female and young

Female slightly smaller, often with fine white spots on the green face; male in the breeding season has a bright red bill with a conspicuous knob at its base. Juvenile already has the adult wing pattern.

Voice

Loud “honk” calls.

Where and when it's recorded

Common Shelduck has been recorded at 1,579 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 88 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom7,904 records
Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom5,565 records
Cley & Salthouse Marshes NWT NR – Cley Marshes including Hides and Visitor CentreUnited Kingdom4,567 records

More places

Desembocadura del Guadalhorce – ÁreaSpain3,894 records
Frampton Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom3,528 records
WWT Slimbridge Wetland CentreUnited Kingdom3,390 records
Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve, SSSI and LNRUnited Kingdom3,193 records
Spurn Bird Observatory Recording AreaUnited Kingdom3,076 records
Beddington FarmlandsUnited Kingdom2,818 records
Rutland WaterUnited Kingdom2,665 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United Kingdom Spain Portugal China France Ireland Germany Sweden

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

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.

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