Australian Shelduck
Tadorna tadornoides
Unlike most duck species, the female Australian Shelduck is much louder and more vocal than the male, uttering a piercing, high-pitched ringing call.
- Scientific name
- Tadorna tadornoides
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Anseriformes › Anatidae › Tadorna
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- wetland
- Habitat
- Shallow lakes, brackish wetlands, pastures, farm dams, and estuaries.
- Diet
- Omnivorous, feeding on grasses, clover, seeds, agricultural crops, and small aquatic invertebrates.
- Range
- Southern Australia, Tasmania, Rottnest Island
- Size
- Length: 55-72 cm; Wingspan: 110-130 cm; Weight: 1.3-2.0 kg
- Lifespan
- 10-15 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Loss of old-growth nesting trees with hollows, agricultural chemicals, and regulated seasonal hunting.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and generally shy. Maintain a safe distance of 15-20 meters, especially during breeding season when parents are highly defensive of their young and may perform distraction displays. They pose no physical danger to humans, but disturbing nesting pairs should be avoided.
The Australian shelduck ( Tadorna tadornoides ), also known as the mountain duck , is a shelduck part of the bird family Anatidae. The genus name Tadorna comes from Celtic roots and means "pied waterfowl". They are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974.
Photo: Aalbert Rebergen, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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