Large duck (approx. 71 cm or 28 in). Same colouration in both sexes. Larger males. Red bill, with a protuberance at the base. Greenish black head, neck and part of the wing; white rest of the neck with a large, thick, reddish brown band or ring at the height of the breast. White back, belly and flanks. Black ventral line. Black rear end of the wings. Orange legs. Dabbling and semi-terrestrial duck.
Wetlands
Saline and brackish wetlands with nearby land areas. Shallow and productive waters, with a lot of organic matter.
Species resident in the province, which also hosts wintering individuals. They breed in wetlands in the north of the province. Nests on land, far from the wetland. Layings of 3 to 12 eggs. Insectivorous feeding, molluscs and crustaceans, in groups on shallow waters or in meadows out of the water.
Common species that can be watched in the Fuente de Piedra and Campillos lagoons and the mouth of the Guadalhorce.
Shelducks are semi-terrestrial ducks, which spend time on land. In fact, they place their nests far from the wetland (sometimes kilometers), in rocky places, slopes, digging burrows or taking advantage of those made by rabbits or foxes. Their Latin name comes from the Celtic and means "spotted duck".
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