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 →
Closest Relatives at Pilanesberg National Park
Egyptian Goose
Alopochen aegyptiaca
Yellow-billed Duck
Anas undulata
White-faced Whistling Duck
Dendrocygna viduata
Red-billed Teal
Anas erythrorhyncha
Spur-winged Goose
Plectropterus gambensis
African Black Duck
Anas sparsa
African Pygmy-Goose
Nettapus auritus
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Comb Duck
Sarkidiornis melanotos
Southern Pochard
Netta erythrophthalma
White-backed Duck
Thalassornis leuconotus
Fulvous Whistling-Duck
Dendrocygna bicolor
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of South African Shelduck at Pilanesberg National Park — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ 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 |