Shelduck
Tadorna tadorna
Length 58-65cm

A large, goose-sized duck with distinctive markings. Adult has glossy green head and upper neck which looks black in poor light. Plumage otherwise mostly white except for orange chest band and black on wings. Legs pinkish red and bill bright red, that of male having knob at base. In flight, looks very black and white. Juvenile has white and buffish brown plumage, the patterning reminiscent of that of adult. Favours coastal habitats including estuaries, mudflats and sheltered coasts where invertebrate food items common. A common breeding bird in undisturbed areas, nesting in burrows. After hatching, black and white ducklings follow parents onto mudflats. Common around coasts of Britain and Ireland. Many birds move to Bridgewater Bay, Somerset, for their summer moult.