South African Shelduck
Tadorna cana
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAnseriformes
- FamilyAnatidae (Anàtids)
- GenusTadorna (Typical Shelducks)
- SpeciesTadorna cana (South African Shelduck)
The South African shelduck or Cape shelduck (Tadorna cana) is a species of shelduck, a group of large goose-like birds in the bird family Anatidae, which includes the swans, geese and ducks. This is a common species native to southern Africa. This is a 64 cm (25 in) long bird which breeds mainly in Namibia and South Africa. In the austral winter, many birds move north-east from the breeding range to favoured moulting grounds, where sizable concentrations occur. This species is mainly associated with lakes and rivers in fairly open country, breeding in disused mammal holes, usually those of the aardvark. Pairs tend to be very nomadic when not in breeding season. Wikipedia →
20–30% of wildlife watchers report a South African Shelduck sighting in Addo Elephant National Park, based on 166 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Addo Elephant National Park
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiaca
Yellow-billed Duck
Anas undulata
Spur-winged Goose
Plectropterus gambensis
Red-billed Teal
Anas erythrorhyncha
Cape Teal
Anas capensis
White-faced Whistling Duck
Dendrocygna viduata
African Black Duck
Anas sparsa
Cape Shoveler
Spatula smithii
Muscovy Duck
Cairina moschata
Maccoa Duck
Oxyura maccoa
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
White-backed Duck
Thalassornis leuconotus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 2 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 4 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a South African Shelduck in Addo Elephant National Park?
About 27% of wildlife watchers report a South African Shelduck sighting in Addo Elephant National Park, based on 166 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see South African Shelduck in Addo Elephant National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for South African Shelduck in Addo Elephant National Park in our monthly data.