Ruddy Shelduck

Tadorna ferruginea

Introduction

In some Buddhist countries the Ruddy Shelduck is protected because its colour is said to resemble that of a monk's robes. During migration, Ruddy Shelduck have been recorded flying at heights of up to 6,800 m.

Most records are undoubtedly of escapees from collections, and the situation is complicated by the growth of feral populations in Germany that migrate to The Netherlands to moult; wild individuals from their breeding grounds in SE Europe and central Asia may have occurred, the challenge is in proving it

Key Stats

Status

Rare

Weight

1.3kg

Seasonality

<1%

BTO Records

12k records

Population and distribution stats for:

No data

No current data

% expansion

No data

No current data

630% expansion

Identification

Curated resources to aid in the identification of Ruddy Shelduck

Songs and Calls

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Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Ruddy Shelduck, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

Call:

Status and Trends

Population size, trends and patterns of distribution based on BTO and partnership surveys and atlasses with data collected by BTO volunteers.

Conservation Status

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This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

Species of European Conservation Concern

Least Concern

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)

Least Concern

Schedule 1 Licence required (to disturb)*

Birds Directive Annex 1

* A guide only. Check details with the original legislation, especially those marked with an asterisk. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Size

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BOU Category

B D

Source

First Record*

Sutherland, 1892

* First documented occurrence. Most species undoubtedly occurred before this. See About Birdfacts for more information.

Population Change

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Population trends of this scarce species are not routinely monitored.

Distribution

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There are historical records that may relate to genuine vagrants from breeding grounds in southeast Europe, north Africa and Central Asia, but it is thought that most birds recorded nowadays are escapes from wildfowl collections. Winter records mainly in southern and central England. There is a small feral breeding population the southern half of Britain.

Occupied 10-km squares in UK

These figures come from Bird Atlas 2007 and indicate how widespread a species is.

No. occupied in breeding season

% occupied in breeding season

0.5%

No. occupied in winter

% occupied in winter

2.6%

Bird Atlas distribution maps show where bird species breed or winter in Britain and Ireland. For breeding maps, larger dots indicate higher certainty the species bred in that area.

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Breeding Distribution for Ruddy Shelduck

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or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

To view and download up-to-date distribution information aggregated from across BTO and partnership surveys and schemes, see our data holdings on the NBN Atlas.

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Distribution Change

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Change in occupied 10-km squares in the UK

These figures come from Bird Atlas 2007-11 and indicate by how much occupied areas have expanded or contracted over recent decades.

% change in range in winter (1981–84 to 2007–11)

630 %

Bird Atlas distribution change maps show how bird distributions have changed through time. Coloured upward-pointing triangles show places apparently colonised over the period; grey downward-pointing triangles show places apparently vacated. Shading show places occupied.

Winter Distribution change for Ruddy Shelduck

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Breeding Distribution change for Ruddy Shelduck

Click the map to enlarge,
or view it on Bird Atlas Mapstore.

Seasonality

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Sporadic records of Ruddy Shelducks throughout the year are likely to be escaped and naturalised individuals possibly supplemented by immigrants from naturalised and wild populations on the continent.

Weekly pattern of occurrence

The graph shows when the species is present in the UK, with taller bars indicating a higher likelihood of encountering the species in appropriate regions and habitats.

Phenology graph — Weekly occurrence patterns (shaded cells and reporting rates (vertical bars) based on BirdTrack data. Reporting rates give the likelihood of encountering the species each week.

Movement

Information about Ruddy Shelduck movements and migration based on online bird portals (e.g. BirdTrack), Ringing schemes and tracking studies.

Britain & Ireland movement

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View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report

European movements

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EuroBirdPortal uses birdwatcher's records, such as those logged in BirdTrack to map the flows of birds as they arrive and depart Europe. See maps for this species here.

Biology

Lifecycle and body size information for Ruddy Shelduck, including statistics on nesting, eggs and lifespan based on BTO ringing and nest recording data.

Survival and Longevity

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Survival is shown as the proportion of birds surviving from one year to the next and is derived from bird ringing data. It can also be used to estimate how long birds typically live.

Classification, names and codes

Taxonomy, names and species codes for Ruddy Shelduck

Classification and Codes

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Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Scientific name: Tadorna ferruginea
Authority: Pallas, 1764

BTO 2-letter code: UD
BTO 5-letter code: RUDSH
Euring code number: 1710

Alternate species names

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Catalan: ànec canyella
Czech: husice rezavá
Danish: Rustand
Dutch: Casarca
Estonian: tulipart
Finnish: ruostesorsa
French: Tadorne casarca

German: Rostgans
Hungarian: vörös ásólúd
Icelandic: Ryðönd
Irish: Seil-lacha Rua
Italian: Casarca
Latvian: ruda dižpile
Lithuanian: rudoji urvine antis
Norwegian: Rustand

Polish: kazarka rdzawa
Portuguese: pato-casarca
Slovak: kazarka hrdzavá
Slovenian: rjasta kozarka
Spanish: Tarro canelo
Swedish: rostand
Welsh: Hwyaden Goch yr Eithin

More Evidence

More evidence from Conservation Evidence.com

Partners

Birdfacts is based on data collected by volunteers participating in surveys that are organised and funded by BTO, RSPB, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, JNCC and other partners.

BTO

Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

JNCC

RSPB

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