Ruddy Shelduck - photograph © Rajiv Lather
 

Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), also called Brahminy Duck, is a common winter visitor in India. This bird is found in large wetlands, rivers with mud flats and shingle banks. Found in large congregation on lakes and reservoirs. It breeds in high altitude lakes and swamps in Jammu & Kashmir. Arrives in north India by October and departs by April.

Size: 66 cm

Identification: Orange brown duck with a buff colored head. The male develops a black collar in breeding season. Black primaries.

Local name: Surkhab, Chakwa (male), Chakwi (female)   

Food: grain, vegetable shoots, tubers, aquatic insects, molluscs, reptiles