Ruddy shelduck
Tadorna ferruginea
Local namesangut
- Do not touch
- May carry disease
Wild ducks are natural carriers of avian influenza; do not handle dead or sick birds bare-handed and report them. Protected from hunting in Türkiye.
Key identifying features
Entire body a uniform orange-rust, unmatched by any other duck in the region
Head distinctly paler creamy-buff; breeding male shows a thin black neck collar
Dazzling white forewing with black tips in flight, completely hidden when perched
Loud, far-carrying nasal honking call
Grazes on lakeside grassland like a goose, spending long periods out of the water
Bird
- Wetland
- Steppe
- Mountains
- In Türkiye
- Partial migrant — some leave, some stay
- Length
- 58–70 cm
- Wingspan
- 110–135 cm
- Family
- Anatidae
- Conservation status
- Not threatened
Similar species
Identification suggestions (from the community or from AI) and the information here may be wrong; this app never confirms that anything is safe to eat. Do not consume wild plants, mushrooms or seafood without expert confirmation. Nothing here is medical advice.