COMMON SHELDUCK Tadorna tadorna

An abundant and familiar European breeding duck, with a smaller fragmented population on steppe lakes across Asia to western China. Also a few breed in isolated pockets such as Tunisia. European birds form huge moult concentrations in Northern Germany, Asian birds are either sedentary or move south in winter. The knob on the bill is diminished in non-breeding plumage, and absent on females. Females often show white patches near the bill-base, as on the centre bird here.

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