Tadorna ferruginea

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AVES	ANSERIFORMES	ANATIDAE

Scientific Name:

Tadorna ferruginea

Species Authority:

(Pallas, 1764)

Common Name/s:

English	–	Ruddy Shelduck
French	–	Tadorne casarca

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Least Concern ver 3.1

Year Published:

2009

Assessor/s:

BirdLife International

Reviewer/s:

Bird, J., Butchart, S.

Justification:
This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend is not known, but the population is not believed to be decreasing sufficiently rapidly to approach the thresholds under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is very large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

History:

2008	–	Least Concern
2004	–	Least Concern

Geographic Range [top]

Countries:	Native: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bangladesh; Bhutan; Bulgaria; China; Cyprus; Denmark; Egypt; Ethiopia; Georgia; Greece; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Kazakhstan; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Moldova; Mongolia; Morocco; Myanmar; Nepal; Oman; Pakistan; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Spain; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Thailand; Tunisia; Turkey; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Western Sahara Vagrant: Austria; Bahrain; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; Czech Republic; Eritrea; Finland; France; Germany; Greenland; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Japan; Jordan; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Lebanon; Liechtenstein; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malta; Montenegro; Netherlands; Norway; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Portugal; Serbia; Seychelles; Slovakia; Slovenia; Sri Lanka; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan, Province of China; United Kingdom; Yemen
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Countries:

Native:

Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bangladesh; Bhutan; Bulgaria; China; Cyprus; Denmark; Egypt; Ethiopia; Georgia; Greece; India; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Israel; Italy; Kazakhstan; Korea, Republic of; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Libyan Arab Jamahiriya; Moldova; Mongolia; Morocco; Myanmar; Nepal; Oman; Pakistan; Qatar; Romania; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Russian Federation; Saudi Arabia; Spain; Sudan; Syrian Arab Republic; Tajikistan; Thailand; Tunisia; Turkey; Ukraine; United Arab Emirates; Uzbekistan; Viet Nam; Western Sahara

Vagrant:

Austria; Bahrain; Belarus; Belgium; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; Czech Republic; Eritrea; Finland; France; Germany; Greenland; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Japan; Jordan; Korea, Democratic People's Republic of; Lebanon; Liechtenstein; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Malta; Montenegro; Netherlands; Norway; Palestinian Territory, Occupied; Poland; Portugal; Serbia; Seychelles; Slovakia; Slovenia; Sri Lanka; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan, Province of China; United Kingdom; Yemen

Range Map:

Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Behaviour Asian populations are largely migratory, moving south on a broad front to winter at lower latitudes and altitudes in India and south-east Asia^{1, 13}. Other populations are chiefly sedentary or dispersive, undertaking local movements linked to the availability of suitable water (moving away from drought-affected areas or to temporary wetlands)^{1, 13}. The species is usually found dispersed in pairs during the breeding season, although it may form small nesting groups when desirable nesting sites are close together⁶. It may congregate into larger flocks (e.g. 4,000 birds at a site in Nepal, > 10,000 at a site in Turkey) during the autumn and winter, but is more characteristically found in scattered small flocks along rivers^{6, 8}. Adults undergo a complete moult after breeding that leaves them flightless for around four weeks mid-July to September^{4, 8}, throughout which they require large open areas of water on or near their breeding grounds¹³. The species is mainly nocturnal³. Habitat Breeding This species frequents the shores of inland freshwater, saline and brackish lakes and rivers in open country, particularly those in open steppe, upland plateau and mountainous regions (reaching up to 5,000 m in Himalayas)^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}. However, it is less dependent upon large water bodies for resting and feeding than most other Anatidae, and often occurs a considerable distance from water during the breeding season¹³. Non-breeding In the non-breeding season this species prefers streams, slow-flowing rivers, freshwater pools, flooded grasslands, marshes and brackish or saline lakes in lowland regions, and is also found on artificial reservoirs^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5} in the vicinity of agricultural lands (Uzbekistan)¹¹. It avoids coastal waters and tall, dense vegetation or emergent and floating aquatic plants⁶. Diet The species is omnivorous, it's diet consisting of tender green shoots and the seeds of terrestrial vegetation, agricultural grains such as millet and wheat, littoral crustaceans such as shrimps, aquatic and terrestrial insects (especially Locusts), aquatic molluscs, small fish, frogs, amphibian spawn and worms^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}.Breeding site Nests are shallow depressions, frequently located far from the water in burrows or holes in sand or clay banks (these can either be natural or excavated by another animal)⁶. Other nest sites include abandoned buildings and farm sheds, hollow trees up to 10 m high, crevices in rocks and cliffs and occasionally nest-boxes⁶. Management information The population in the "Ascania Nova" nature reserve, southern Ukraine, has been restored successfully as a result of artificial nest creation, regular feeding, breaking the ice on ponds to provide constant access to water, and raising broods using conspecific, Cairina moschata and Anas platyrhynchos foster parents¹⁴.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Habitat and Ecology:

Behaviour Asian populations are largely migratory, moving south on a broad front to winter at lower latitudes and altitudes in India and south-east Asia^{1, 13}. Other populations are chiefly sedentary or dispersive, undertaking local movements linked to the availability of suitable water (moving away from drought-affected areas or to temporary wetlands)^{1, 13}. The species is usually found dispersed in pairs during the breeding season, although it may form small nesting groups when desirable nesting sites are close together⁶. It may congregate into larger flocks (e.g. 4,000 birds at a site in Nepal, > 10,000 at a site in Turkey) during the autumn and winter, but is more characteristically found in scattered small flocks along rivers^{6, 8}. Adults undergo a complete moult after breeding that leaves them flightless for around four weeks mid-July to September^{4, 8}, throughout which they require large open areas of water on or near their breeding grounds¹³. The species is mainly nocturnal³. Habitat Breeding This species frequents the shores of inland freshwater, saline and brackish lakes and rivers in open country, particularly those in open steppe, upland plateau and mountainous regions (reaching up to 5,000 m in Himalayas)^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}. However, it is less dependent upon large water bodies for resting and feeding than most other Anatidae, and often occurs a considerable distance from water during the breeding season¹³. Non-breeding In the non-breeding season this species prefers streams, slow-flowing rivers, freshwater pools, flooded grasslands, marshes and brackish or saline lakes in lowland regions, and is also found on artificial reservoirs^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5} in the vicinity of agricultural lands (Uzbekistan)¹¹. It avoids coastal waters and tall, dense vegetation or emergent and floating aquatic plants⁶. Diet The species is omnivorous, it's diet consisting of tender green shoots and the seeds of terrestrial vegetation, agricultural grains such as millet and wheat, littoral crustaceans such as shrimps, aquatic and terrestrial insects (especially Locusts), aquatic molluscs, small fish, frogs, amphibian spawn and worms^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5}.Breeding site Nests are shallow depressions, frequently located far from the water in burrows or holes in sand or clay banks (these can either be natural or excavated by another animal)⁶. Other nest sites include abandoned buildings and farm sheds, hollow trees up to 10 m high, crevices in rocks and cliffs and occasionally nest-boxes⁶. Management information The population in the "Ascania Nova" nature reserve, southern Ukraine, has been restored successfully as a result of artificial nest creation, regular feeding, breaking the ice on ponds to provide constant access to water, and raising broods using conspecific, Cairina moschata and Anas platyrhynchos foster parents¹⁴.

Systems:

Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Hunting is a threat, especially in south-east Europe^{1,3, 8, 10}(e.g. in Turkey)¹³, although the species is largely protected in central and eastern Asia by its sacred status⁸. Other threats to western populations include the loss and degradation of inland wetlands through subterranean water extraction for irrigation¹⁰ (leading to decreasing water supplies for seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands)¹³, widespread drainage of shallow marshes and lakes¹³, salt extraction^{1, 7, 10}, urban development, pollution, introduction of exotic fish and overgrazing^{1, 7, 10}. At the Klingnau Dam in northern Switzerland the species has been known to hybridise with the South African Shelduck Tadorna cana from escaped captive populations, which could pose a threat to the integrity of both species⁹. The species is also susceptible to avian influenza (strain H5N1) and is therefore threatened by outbreaks of the virus¹². Utilisation This species is hunted for commercial and recreational purposes in Gilan Province, northern Iran¹⁵.

Major Threat(s):

Hunting is a threat, especially in south-east Europe^{1,3, 8, 10}(e.g. in Turkey)¹³, although the species is largely protected in central and eastern Asia by its sacred status⁸. Other threats to western populations include the loss and degradation of inland wetlands through subterranean water extraction for irrigation¹⁰ (leading to decreasing water supplies for seasonal and semi-permanent wetlands)¹³, widespread drainage of shallow marshes and lakes¹³, salt extraction^{1, 7, 10}, urban development, pollution, introduction of exotic fish and overgrazing^{1, 7, 10}. At the Klingnau Dam in northern Switzerland the species has been known to hybridise with the South African Shelduck Tadorna cana from escaped captive populations, which could pose a threat to the integrity of both species⁹. The species is also susceptible to avian influenza (strain H5N1) and is therefore threatened by outbreaks of the virus¹². Utilisation This species is hunted for commercial and recreational purposes in Gilan Province, northern Iran¹⁵.

Citation:	BirdLife International 2009. Tadorna ferruginea. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 17 May 2012.
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