South African Shelduck
Tadorna cana
Silhouette: Rebecca Groom · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderAnseriformes (Waterfowl)
- FamilyAnatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans)
- GenusTadorna (Typical Shelducks)
- SpeciesTadorna cana (South African Shelduck)
About the South African Shelduck
The South African shelduck or Cape shelduck (Tadorna cana) is a species of shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds in the bird family Anatidae, which includes the swans, geese and ducks. This is a common species native to southern Africa.
This is a 64 cm (25 in) long bird which breeds mainly in Namibia and South Africa. In the austral 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. Pairs tend to be very nomadic when not in breeding season. The South African shelduck was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae. He placed it with all the other geese, ducks and swans in the genus Anas and coined the binomial name Anas cana. Gmelin based his description on the "Grey-headed goose" from the Cape of Good Hope that the English ornithologist John Latham had described in 1785 in his A General Synopsis of Birds. The South African shelduck is now placed... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of South African Shelduck in Etosha National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Etosha National Park
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiaca
Cape Teal
Anas capensis
Red-billed Teal
Anas erythrorhyncha
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna bicolor
Spur-winged Goose
Plectropterus gambensis
Cape Shoveler
Spatula smithii
Hottentot Teal
Spatula hottentota
White-faced Whistling Duck
Dendrocygna viduata
Comb Duck
Sarkidiornis melanotos
Southern Pochard
Netta erythrophthalma
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Golden Gate Highlands National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a South African Shelduck in Etosha National Park?
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a South African Shelduck sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 581 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see South African Shelduck in Etosha National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for South African Shelduck in Etosha National Park in our monthly data.