Australian Shelduck:
This Australian shelduck pairs for life and nests in the holes of dead or dying trees.  In areas without trees, rabbit holes in the ground are used as nesting sites.

Cape Shelduck:
South African shelducks with a notoriously bad temper, very similar to the ruddy shelducks which it is sometimes thought to be merely a subspecies of.  Many can be found living around farms becoming semi-domesticated.

Ruddy Shelduck:
Asian shelduck that is very noisy and quarrelsome by nature.  The sexes look very similar but males are usually larger and more aggressive.

Common (European) Shelduck:
European shelduck with very gooselike characteristics and with a preference for coastal areas.  Gregarious by nature but strongly territorial during the breeding season.  Nests usually in a rabbit burrow in sand dunes or banks.

Comments? Questions?  Email kem@ctwaterfowl.org.
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Last modified: May 23, 2003