Week 4 – February 2021
KNOW YOUR BIRDIES FROM YOUR EAGLES
SOUTH ARICAN SHELDUCK (KOPEREEND)
Description
The South African shelduck or Cape shelduck (Tadorna cana) is a species of shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds which are part of the bird family Anatidae, which also includes the swans, geese and ducks. This is a common species native to southern Africa.
This is a 64 cm 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.
Adult South African shelducks have ruddy bodies and wings strikingly marked with black, white and green. The male has a grey head, and the female has a white face and black crown, nape and neck sides. Note the colour on the females head is highly variable. In flight they can be hard to distinguish from Egyptian geese. Juveniles are duller in appearance. Young females lack the white on the head, excluding white eye circles. Males make a deep honk or hoogh call while the female tends to produce a louder, sharper hark.
Feeding
The Cape shelduck is omnivorous and may feed on crustaceans, brachiopods, insect larvae and submerged plants. During the breeding season in South Africa, its diet consists entirely of vegetable matter, such as corn kernels and the seedlings of grain crops like wheat, oats, barley, sorghum, potatoes, peanuts, sunflower seeds, rice and figs. Fun Facts
Within days of hatching, the young are led from the nest to what field scientists call 'nursery water' by both parents or sometimes by other adults. This distance can be a mile or more. In the nursery there are several young from other shelducks together under the care of one or more adults. The nursery group (or crèche) varies in size and age range (a normal size crèche is 20 to 40 individuals, but some groups of 100 have been recorded.
Shelducks are not diving birds, but they are able to dive if needed. The young ducklings dive freely but the adults only do so when wounded or frightened.