English: Ruddy Shelduck
Russian: Огарь
German: Rostgans
French: Tadorne casarca
Mongolian: Хондон ангир
Japanese: アカツクシガモ (Aka-tsukushigamo)

Body length: 58-70 cm
Wing span: 110-135 cm

Breeding visitor /wintering
Breeding season: May-August

Egg number:  8-12 (occasionally 16)
Egg color: Slightly glossy
Brood: 1 per year

Global status: Least Concern
Regional status: Least Concern

Habitat: Breeds in variety of inland habitats: on vast steppes at shores of lakes or saltmarshes, along rivers, in hills and even on barren, rocky mountain-sides, at times far from nearest water. Nests in hole in cliff, bank, tree or ruin. Largely migratory. Often seen flying at considerable height. Records in W an N Europe mainly involve escapes from captivity, since it is a commonly kept bird in wildfowl collections and parks, but influxes of wild birds sometimes occur.

Food: Green plants, insects, fishes, frogs, and worms.

Identification: Roughly the same size as Shelduck (marginally larger), and has similar proportions, with fairly long neck and legs, long and rather narrow wings. Body bright orange-brown, head paler cinnamon-buff or creamy-white, especially pale on forehead and face. Rump, tail and flight-feathers black, partly with greenish gloss. Forewing (upper and under) pure white. Bill black.

• Adult ♂: Narrow black neck-collar. Slightly darker orange-brown on mantle and breast.
• Adult ♀: No neck-collar. Tendency to have more clearly set-off white ‘face-mask’.
• Juvenile: Resembles ♀, but has grey wash on white of forewing.