South African Shelduck
South African ShelduckSouth African ShelduckSouth African ShelduckSouth African Shelduck

South African Shelduck

Tadorna cana

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
30–40% · Possible
overall probability at Etosha National Park
446 Verified records at Etosha National Park
September Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

30–40% of wildlife watchers report a South African Shelduck sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 446 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Etosha National Park

Egyptian Goose
LC

Egyptian Goose

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Alopochen aegyptiaca

40–50% · Likely
Cape Teal
LC

Cape Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas capensis

20–30% · Possible
Red-billed Teal
LC

Red-billed Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas erythrorhyncha

10–20% · With luck
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
LC

Fulvous Whistling-Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dendrocygna bicolor

Insufficient data
Spur-winged Goose
LC

Spur-winged Goose

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Plectropterus gambensis

Insufficient data
Cape Shoveler
LC

Cape Shoveler

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula smithii

<5% · Rare
Hottentot Teal
LC

Hottentot Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula hottentota

<5% · Rare
White-faced Whistling Duck
LC

White-faced Whistling Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Dendrocygna viduata

<5% · Rare
Comb Duck
LC

Comb Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sarkidiornis melanotos

<5% · Rare
Southern Pochard
LC

Southern Pochard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Netta erythrophthalma

Insufficient data

📅 Monthly Probability

30–40
Jan
20–30
Feb
20–30
Mar
30–40
Apr
30–40
May
30–40
Jun
30–40
Jul
30–40
Aug
30–40
Sep
30–40
Oct
10–20
Nov
10–20
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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
30–40%
2 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
20–30%
3 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
10–20%
4 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
5–10%
5 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
6 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
7 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
8 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
9 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a South African Shelduck in Etosha National Park?

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a South African Shelduck sighting in Etosha National Park, based on 446 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see South African Shelduck in Etosha National Park?

September has the highest sighting rate for South African Shelduck in Etosha National Park in our monthly data.

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