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The Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea) is a member of the duck family Anatidae. It is in the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae. There are very small resident populations of this species in north west Africa and Ethiopia, but the main breeding area of this species is from south east Europe across central Asia. These ducks are mostly migratory, wintering in southern Asia. It is presumably this population which gives rise to vagrants as far west as Iceland and Great Britain. However, since the European population is declining, it is likely that most occurrences in western Europe in recent decades are escapes or feral birds. Although this bird is observed in the wild from time to time in eastern North America, no evidence of a genuine vagrant has been found. Bill
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