Tadorna tadornoides
Silhouette: Rebecca Groom · PhyloPic
The Australian shelduck (Tadorna tadornoides), also known as the chestnut-breasted shelduck or mountain duck, is a shelduck, a group of large goose-like ducks part of the bird family Anatidae. The genus name Tadorna comes from Celtic roots and means "pied waterfowl". They have a striking chestnut-coloured breast and black body. They are protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
William Jardine and Prideaux John Selby described the Australian shelduck in 1828. The males are mostly dark, with a chestnut breast. They have white neck collars and dark green heads. The females are similar, but they have white around the eyes and are smaller. Both males and females have chestnut and black wings with a green speculum, and show some white on their wings during flight.
The downy young are white with a brown crown and brown stripes from crown to tail. Juvenile males are duller than the adults and also lack a white collar, while juvenile females have a lot more white on their excluding their crown.
The vocal calls of the male are a deep honk similar to a goose, while the female's call is a high pitched and penetrating "zeek, zeek". The... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rottnest Island | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Freycinet National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 4 | Grampians National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 5 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 6 | Wilsons Promontory National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Parc zoologique de Lisieux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Cheyenne Mountain Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Oasis Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 10 | Healesville Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 11 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 12 | Hamilton Zoo | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 13 | Cleland Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 15 | Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 16 | Moonlit Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 17 | Santillana Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Featherdale Sydney Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 19 | Tralaga Wildlife park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 20 | Greenough Wildlife & Bird Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 21 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 22 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 23 | Caversham Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 24 | The Lair | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 25 | Trowunna Wildlife Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Very likely
About 90% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Shelduck sighting in Rottnest Island on a given day, based on 781 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 81 birds we can rate there.
April–June, August and December
In those months over 90% of wildlife watchers report an Australian Shelduck in Rottnest Island on a given day, against about 90% in January–March, July and September–November, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Australian Shelduck sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Australian Shelduck sightings, Rottnest Island has the highest daily chance: about 90%. Next come Freycinet National Park (Australia, about 10%) and Great Otway National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Australian Shelduck that you can see in Rottnest Island (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Grey Teal (about 70%) and Pacific Black Duck (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Australian Shelduck is recorded against all the birds logged in Rottnest Island (781 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
