Common Shelduck

• It places its nest in cavities a long way from water, which forces the newly hatched ducklings to make an overland journey that can be very dangerous for them.
• The ducklings gather in large crèches with the young of other pairs, watched over by a few adults and by birds that have failed to breed.
• Most pairs leave their young before they are fully grown and head for quiet areas by the sea to moult, a period in which they lose their flight feathers and cannot fly.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)

Habitat and environment

Sandy and muddy coasts, almost always associated with halophytic vegetation, and sometimes inland wetlands. It breeds on dry land, in natural cavities or in holes dug by other animals, above all rabbit burrows, often a long way from water

Birth weight

Precocial: born covered in down and leaves the nest within a few hours

Size at birth

Precocial: born covered in down and leaves the nest within a few hours

Sexual maturity

Females at 2 years; males at 4 or 5

Gestation / incubation

29-31 days, with the female incubating alone

Litter / clutch size

3-12 eggs, commonly 8-10, glossy white. A single brood a year, with replacement clutches if they are destroyed early. The chicks are independent at only 15-20 days and develop full plumage in 45-50 days

Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; SEO/BirdLife (ficha y Libro Rojo de las Aves de España); Universidad de Málaga (UMA Divulga); IEPNB (EIDOS); Zoobotánico de Jerez; Linnaeus 1758

Best time: From May to June, the laying season, on the Mediterranean coast