Cape Shelduck

Cape Shelduck

Taxobox
name = Cape Shelduck
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Anseriformes
familia = Anatidae
genus = "Tadorna"
species = "T. cana"
binomial = "Tadorna cana"
binomial_authority = (Gmelin, 1789)

The Cape Shelduck or South African Shelduck, "Tadorna cana", is a species of shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds which are part of the bird family Anatidae, which also includes the swans, geese and ducks. The Anatidae article should be referred to for an overview of this group of birds.

This is a 64 cm long bird which breeds in southern Africa, mainly in Namibia and South Africa. In the southern winter, many birds move north-east from the breeding range to favoured moulting grounds, where sizable concentrations occur.

This species is mainly associated with lakes and rivers in fairly open country, breeding in disused mammal holes, usually those of the Aardvark.

Adult Cape Shelduck have ruddy bodies and wings strikingly marked with black, white and green. The male has a grey head, and the female has a white face and black crown, nape and neck sides. Cape Shelduck is one of the species to which the "Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds" (AEWA) applies.

The genus name "Tadorna" comes from Celtic roots and means "pied waterfowl", essentially the same as the English "shelduck".cite book| last =Kear| first =Janet| title =Ducks, Geese, and Swans| publisher =Oxford University Press| date =2005| pages =420| url =http://books.google.com/books?id=MfrdBcKd79wC&pg=RA1-PA439&lpg=RA1-PA439&dq=crested+shelduck&source=web&ots=RS734hgSmI&sig=006C0Hb6hpDK1aAEwu-ivfssJBk#PRA1-PA441,M1| isbn =0 19 861008 4 ]

References

* Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton, "SASOL Birds of Southern Africa" (Struik 2002) ISBN 1-86872-721-1
* Madge and Burn, "Wildfowl" ISBN 0-7470-2201-1


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shelduck — Taxobox name = Shelducks image width = 204px image caption = Female Common Shelduck regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Anseriformes familia = Anatidae subfamilia = Tadorninae genus = Tadorna genus authority = Boie, 1822… …   Wikipedia

  • Cape Barren Goose — Conservation status Least Concern …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of South Africa — South Africa is a large country with a range of habitats including tropical and subtropical zones, and as such it has a wide range of birdlife.858 species have been recorded including 31 endemics and nine species introduced by man.The taxonomy of …   Wikipedia

  • List of African birds — This list of African birds is a listing of all the bird species known from the continent of Africa. TOCrightNotesThere are over 45 billion different species of birds in Africa.The taxonomy of this list adheres to James Clitorus Birds of the World …   Wikipedia

  • Sibley-Monroe checklist 2 — The Sibley Monroe checklist was a landmark document in the study of birds. It drew on extensive DNA DNA hybridisation studies to reassess the relationships between modern birds.AnseriformesAnhimidae* Anhima cornuta Horned Screamer * Chauna… …   Wikipedia

  • List of extinct birds — This page refers only to birds that have gone extinct since the year 1500 A.D./C.E. and usually were subject to scientific study while alive.Since 1500, over 190 species of birds have become extinct, and this rate of extinction seems to be… …   Wikipedia

  • Anatidae — Taxobox name = Ducks, geese and swans image width = 260px image caption = Black bellied Whistling Duck ( Dendrocygna autumnalis ) regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves subclassis = Neornithes infraclassis = Neognathae superordo =… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds — This list is based on the Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds [http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/hanzab/HANZAB spp list.pdf list, May 2002 update] , with the doubtfuls omitted. It includes the birds of Australia, New Zealand,… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Australia — This list is based on the Birds Australia [http://www.birdsaustralia.com.au/checklist/ba birdlist sept03.pdf list, September 2003] (PDF, free registration required).The Birds Australia list is considered unofficial. It is based on Christidis and… …   Wikipedia

  • List of extinct animals of Africa — The list of extinct animals in Africa features the animals that have become extinct on the African continent and its islands, like Madagascar, Mauritius, Rodrigues, Réunion, Seychelles, St. Helena, Cape Verde, etc. Pleistocene Extinctions *… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”