Common Shelduck

The Common Shelduck is a large, boldly patterned duck shaped rather like a small, short-necked goose. It measures 55–65 centimetres long with a 100–120-centimetre wingspan. Adults have a dark green head and neck, reddish-pink bill and feet, a white body crossed by chestnut and black, and mostly white wings with black flight feathers. The sexes resemble one another, but breeding males are larger and carry a prominent red knob at the bill base; females often show white flecks on the face. (Wikipedia, Common Shelduck account)

Across the Palearctic, Common Shelducks breed around temperate coasts, estuaries and saline pools, while Asian populations also occupy inland salt lakes and the species increasingly uses open fresh water. They feed in shallow water and exposed mud, taking small molluscs, crustaceans, aquatic insects and some plant matter. Nest sites are usually enclosed cavities, including burrows and holes. After breeding, many adults travel to traditional moulting gatherings where they temporarily lose flight feathers; wintering areas lie in temperate and subtropical parts of the range. (Wikipedia, Common Shelduck account)