Duck of medium size (about 70 cm or 27.5 in) and goose aspect. Orange brown plumage in general. Paler cream tone head. Black tail and rump. White lower wing-coverts. Long legs. Black bill. Males with black ring on the base of the neck.
Wetlands
Species linked to wetlands with banks that allow the growth of pasture and fresh grass at the edges. Preference for brackish, shallow and small ponds.
Very rare species in the province. This duck breeds from April. Nest on the ground, digging a hole in sandy or clayey land, or taking advantage of burrows of other animals and even holes in trees. One annual laying of 8 to 9 eggs. Omnivorous feeding. It consumes mostly vegetable matter foraged on the banks and pastures around the wetland and also worms and insects. Gregarious. The Ruddy Shelduck can not be considered either as a dabbling or a diver duck, but rather of edges and shores, like geese.
Bird considered a rarity in Malaga, very scarce, and with observations that may be due to birds escaped from collections. It has been watched in the wetland of los Prados, the mouth of the Guadalhorce and Fuente de Piedra occasionally.
"Tadorna" is a name from the Celtic and means "spotted duck". "Ferruginea" makes reference to its "rusty" aspect, reason why its Latin name clearly describes it like a "duck stained with rust". "Golden brown ducks" (this is the meaning of their Spanish name) are known for the bad taste of their meat, a feature that has allowed them to stay out of the hunting activity that many anatids often endure.
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