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Common Shelduck

Tadorna tadorna (Linnaeus, 1758)

Пеганка
male (left), female (right)

2021-06-05
Buryatia, Borgoisky Reserve, Lake Beloe
© Aleksey Bolshakov

Distribution

In Siberia, innumerous but locally common in steppes, more rare in forest-steppe. Rare vagranis in more northern areas. In the western Transbaikal some expansion of breeding area was indicated in the last decades of years.

Biology

Common, in places numerous breeding migrant. Found in vicinity of salt lakes on plains. Appears with first thawed patches, when most land is still snow covered, in March or April. Migrating mostly in small flocks, but large flocks of 50 and more birds can be encountered. Arrives at breeding sites in pairs, nesting not far from one another. Prefers to breed in flat desert and steppe plains near (up to 2-3 km) salt lakes, where Brine Shrimp (Artemia salina) is their main food. Nests are placed in old underground fox or marmot holes, in old graves, winter huts, stone piles; open nests among salt-marsh vegetation and reed beds are rare. In some cases, birds burrow underground holes. Nest cup lined with dry grass and down. Clutches of 6-18, more often of 8-10 eggs in early April – mid June; sometimes late clutches represent a second clutch. Only female incubates, male keep an eye out nearby. Downy chicks observed from mid-May to early July, juveniles fly mid-June – end August. Both parents care for chicks and different broods sometimes join up with more than 50 offspring with one or several adults. In July - August adults fly to moult at large salty lakes, where they concentrate in thousands. Autumn migration begins in September – first half of October, some birds linger to mid-November.

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Сибири". Москва-Екатеринбург, Изд-во "Кабинетный ученый", 2014

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