Richly hued, high-flying and adaptable… on the other hand the ruddy shelduck has some dubious eating habits and a raucous voice. BILL NAYLOR paints its complex portrait
THE shelducks (genus Tadorna) are often viewed as the link between geese and ducks, and have characteristics they share with geese. Unlike the other five species of shelduck, the ruddy shelduck (T. ferruginea) is relatively uniform in colour. Free-breeding, hardy and long-lived, it has a prominent history in waterfowl collections. It is a long-term resident at St James’s Park and was first bred in the UK in 1862 at London Zoo.
This attractive waterfowl is native to Asia, North Africa and southern Europe. Before wetland drainage and the impact of hunting – especially in Mediterranean countries – it was once more common in Europe. However, it has recently expanded its range into western Europe and the Canary Islands, although it remains fundamentally an Asian species, found as far eastward as China.
Unlike the European shelduck, which prefers coastal areas, the ruddy mostly favours inland habitats, but is highly adaptable to all types of terrain. It frequents marshland, streams, rivers and canals, nesting as high as 17,000ft (5,200m).
A study published in 2017 found that some ruddy shelduck populations migrate at altitudes of 22,000ft (6,700m), the highest recorded for any duck species. The larger bar-headed goose (Anser indicus) holds the overall waterfowl altitude record of 24,000ft. (7,300m). Some ruddy shelduck are non-migratory, even braving the Siberian winter, and part of the overwintering Russian population takes refuge on the extensive Moscow river system. Most, however, undertake the autumn migration to southern Asia.
Even escaped captive-bred birds will migrate, and with such a commonly kept waterfowl this has led to difficulty: a headache for the BTO especially in ascertaining whether ruddy shelduck outside their usual range are vagrants or escapees. In 1892, there was an influx of vagrant ruddy shelduck to many UK areas, from Scotland to southern England.
Since the 1950s there have been many UK sightings with at least two records of wild breedings. Both vagrants and feral birds have extended the species’ range in a number of other countries, including Canada and the USA. There are also free-breeding colonies in some European countries, where rewilding has been carried out.
Rich and varied plumage
Both sexes exhibit the cinnamon coppery orange plumage (which varies in intensity) from which they derive their name. In some Buddhist countries, they receive protection because their coloration resembles that of a monk’s orange robes.
The female is slightly smaller, often with a whiter face, and her body plumage is sometimes darker with a faint black neck ring. The male has a slightly longer bill and a more pronounced neck ring, which is most noticeable in springtime. (Males can have much white on the head as females, and in Siberia and other parts of Asia, females lack the white here!)
On the closed wing, only a glimpse of the white wing coverts is revealed and the green speculum is masked. Misidentification can occur, since in flight the ruddy shelduck appears pied. As with geese, their wing strokes are slower than other duck species.
The ruddy shelduck’s closest relative is the South African shelduck (T. cana), which also has cinnamon orange brown plumage. The South African species is distinguished by having a grey head, partly hidden in the male by an extensive white facial plumage.
Ipswich Museum has a group display of three mounted ruddy shelduck shot in Suffolk in 1892. (In earlier centuries, shelduck species were usually known as “sheldrake”.) The Ipswich specimens consist of a second-year male, adult an male and an adult female – all similar, with identical white areas on their heads and neck. As with all shelduck, vocalisations vary between the sexes and are often individually identifiable. Females tend to be loud, raucous and repetitive, while drakes emit braying honks and whistles. Even compared with other shelduck species they are highly vocal. Just like geese, they voice-alarm on seeing any human or animal they distrust. “Those ruddy shelduck!” is a common expletive used by enfuriated duck hunters when their cover is blown by their alarm calls.
Unfussy eaters
Wild ruddy shelduck are omnivorous. They will feed on both aquatic and terrestrial plants, including cultivated corn maize and wheat, plus invertebrates, fish and amphibians. Opportunistically they will consume virtually anything, living or long dead. On the River Ganges they will feed with marabou storks on decomposing animal corpses. This prompted the ornithologist Richard Meinertzhagen (1878-1967) to describe its feeding habits as ranging from the improbable to the nauseating.
It is little surprise that these wildfowl are rarely shot for food, as their flesh is said to be rancid and tough. They don’t usually dive but surface-feed, upending and digging in muddy ground with their beaks. They are also nocturnal feeders. In captivity, they require a grassed area to forage. Like other shelduck and some waders, they “paddle” the ground, stimulating worms to rise to the service.
Even wild birds are normally tame where they are not persecuted. Captive birds can be aggressive, but given adequate space they can be kept in groups with more than one breeding pair. Breeding commences in March or April. As is usual with waterfowl, mating takes place on the water. All shelduck nest in cavities, animal burrows or well-foliaged sites. Locations above ground include holes in walls, buildings and trees, and the abandoned nests of crows or raptors. Nesting may be single or in loose groups. Sometimes nest sites are a considerable distance from water.
In collections, they often prefer a large nest-box containing straw a few feet off the ground, ideally in a tree with a ladder or branch for access. The female lines the nest with feathers and down. Her mate becomes very territorial and chases away anything that ventures near the nest, defending it from approaches by hawks and even eagles. A male is on record killing a gull that posed a threat to ducklings.
Six to nine large white eggs are incubated for 28-29 days. The pied youngsters resemble European shelduck and are the prettiest of ducklings. Some breeders believe that it is the palest ducklings that develop into the adults with the richest cinnamon plumage.
Nesting groups of ruddy shelduck organise a crèche for their ducklings, which one or two adults supervise until the youngsters fledge at about 55 days. The species does not undergo an eclipse moult, but has at least three periods during the year when feathers are discarded and renewed. During a winter moult they are flightless for about a month. Wild birds travel to an island or large expanse of water, safe from predators, till their primaries and tail feathers are replaced.
Bill Naylor has first-hand experience of many species of birds from his career as a professional keeper in zoos and birdparks.
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