Scientific name: Tadorna ferruginea (Pallas, 1764)
Bird group: Ducks
Field characters. 61-67 cm. Rather goose-like duck with completely orange-brown plumage, with paler head, black wing-quills and tail, metallic green speculum, and white wing-coverts which are conspicuous only in flight. Male with narrow black collar. Side of head of female paler, almost whitish, plumage more chestnut, and collar absent. Juvenile as female, but duller and with darker, browner back.
Voice. Rather noisy, with loud trumpeting or whooping calls, e.g. "ah-onk".
Distribution. Breeds in low numbers in Greece, Bulgaria, and Rumania.
Habitat. Occupies a broad spectrum of inland biotopes: open lakes, rivers, streams, salt lagoons and marshes, usually in steppe with slopes and crags for breeding nearby. In winter in similar types of habitat; much less maritime than Shelduck.
Food. Feeds chiefly on plant matter but is omnivorous, taking shoots of grasses, seeds, littoral crustaceans, insects, fish, frogs, worms.
Eggs. Unmarked, ground colour white. Texture smooth, slightly glossy. Shape subelliptical/elliptical. Size 68 x 47 mm (62-72 x 45-50), weight 83 g (69-99) for eggs laid in captivity.