| Shelducks | |
|---|---|
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| Femalecommon shelduck | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Subfamily: | Tadorninae |
| Genus: | Tadorna F. Boie, 1822 |
| Type species | |
| Anas familiaris[1] =Anas tadorna Boie, 1822 | |
| Species | |
T. ferruginea | |
| Synonyms | |
see text | |
Theshelducks, most species of which are found in the genusTadorna (except for theRadjah shelduck, which is now found in its own monotypic genusRadjah), are a group of large birds in theTadorninae subfamily of theAnatidae, the biologicalfamily that includes theducks and most duck-likewaterfowl such as thegeese andswans.
Shelducks are a group of large, often semi-terrestrial waterfowl, which can be seen as intermediate between geese (Anserinae) and ducks[citation needed]. They are mid-sized (some 50–60 cm)Old World waterfowl. The sexes are colored slightly differently in most species, and all have a characteristic upperwing coloration in flight: the tertiaryremiges form a greenspeculum, the secondaries and primaries are black, and the coverts (forewing) are white. Their diet consists of small shore animals (winkles,crabs etc.) as well asgrasses and other plants.
They were originally known as "sheldrakes", which remained the most common name until the late 19th century.[2] The word is still sometimes used to refer to a male shelduck and can also occasionally refer to thecanvasback (Aythya valisineria) of North America.[3]
The genusTadorna was introduced by the German zoologistFriedrich Boie in 1822.[4][5] Thetype species is thecommon shelduck.[5] The genus name comes from the French nameTadorne for the common shelduck.[6] It may originally derive from Celtic roots meaning "pied waterfowl", essentially the same as theEnglish "shelduck".[7] A group of them is called a "dopping," taken from theHarley Manuscript.[8]
The namesake genus of the Tadorninae,Tadorna is very close to theEgyptian goose and itsextinct relatives from theMadagascar region,Alopochen. While the classical shelducks form a group that is obviouslymonophyletic, the interrelationships of these, the aberrant common and especially Radjah sheducks, and the Egyptian goose were found to be poorly resolved bymtDNAcytochromebsequence data;[9] this genus may thus beparaphyletic.
The Radjah sheduck, formerly placed in the genusTadorna, is now placed in its own monotypic genus:
Fossil bones fromDorkovo (Bulgaria) described asBalcanas pliocaenica may actually belong to this genus. They have even been proposed to be referable to the common shelduck, but theirEarly Pliocene age makes this rather unlikely.[citation needed]
Based on theTaxonomy in Flux from John Boyd's website.[10]
| Tadornina |
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The following table is based on theHBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World.[11][12]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common shelduck
| Tadorna tadorna (Linnaeus, 1758) | Europe, Asia, N. Africa | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Ruddy shelduck
| Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas, 1764) | Europe, Asia, N. Africa | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| South African shelduck
| Tadorna cana (Gmelin, JF, 1789) | Namibia, Botswana, South Africa | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Australian shelduck
| Tadorna tadornoides (Jardine & Selby, 1828) | Australia, New Zealand | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Paradise shelduck
| Tadorna variegata (Gmelin, 1789) | New Zealand | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
| Crested shelduck
| Tadorna cristata (Kuroda, 1917) | Eastern Russia, East Asia | Size: Habitat: Diet: | CR |
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
