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PLATE 3: SHELDUCKS AND DABBLING DUCKS I
Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna wv
L: 63. W: 122. Large with white body, black head with green gloss, broad chestnut band around
breast and prominent red bill with fleshy knob in breeding male. In flight, black flight feathers
contrast with white upper- and underwing-coverts and black shoulders. Juvenile lacks chestnut
band, has grey-brown head, hindneck and upperparts, and pale greyish bill. Voice Male in breeding
season has high whistling siss-siss-siss, answered by the female’s whinnying geheheheheheh;
sometimes nasal ah-hang. Habitat Sandy and muddy coasts, fresh and saltwater lakes and
marshes; nests in burrow, hole in tree or under thick cover. Note Passage and winter hatched, but
uncommon in much of Arabia.Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea wv
L: 64. W: 133. Size of Common Shelduck with orange-chestnut body and paler cinnamon-buff head;
black flight feathers with green speculum, striking white forewing and underwing-coverts (similar
to Egyptian Goose). Female and non-breeding male lack black neck collar; female also has paler
head. Juvenile like adult female, but back browner. From Egyptian Goose by shape, narrower, more
pointed wings, head pattern and darker chestnut underparts. Voice Nasal, trumpeting and rather
penetrating ang, ang. Habitat Sandy lake shores, river banks, fields, arid steppe; nests in hole or
burrow. Note Passage and winter hatched, but rare or irregular in S Arabia.Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris V
L: 41. In flight resembles small female Northern Pintail, having fairly long neck, wings and tail. On the
water identified by pale plumage, dappled dark and cream (marbled) with dark oval patch around
eye. Head large and rounded with steep forehead and, in adult, bulky crest on lower nape. In flight,
wings are fairly pale with slightly paler secondaries but no speculum. Often secretive, hiding in
vegetation. Voice Low nasal wheezing jeak or double whistling note. Habitat Well-vegetated lakes
and reservoirs; also salt lakes in winter. Note Winter hatched but mostly rare; vagrant Bahrain,
Cyprus, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE.Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha E/I
L: 60. W: 100. Large, rather pale duck with yellow tip to dark bill and dark line through eye on
otherwise pale grey face and neck; male has reddish spot on lores. Upperparts and flanks boldly
scalloped; breast spotted dark. Black undertail-coverts noticeable, particularly when up-ending.
In flight, shows conspicuous white tertials. Size and shape as Mallard. Habitat Wetlands.
Note Introduced Salalah, Oman in 1990s, surviving for several years; several unconfirmed records
in recent years.Gadwall Anas strepera wv
L: 51. W: 89. Medium-sized, slightly built dabbling duck. Flies with rapid wingbeats and pointed
wings like Eurasian Wigeon. Male mainly dark grey with black around tail; in flight, white
speculum bordered black in front, and white belly. Female and juvenile resemble larger and
heavier female Mallard, but tail grey-brown (not white), and thin dark bill is orange along sides; in
flight, shows white speculum patch close to body (often smaller in male) and white belly bordered
by dark flanks. Voice Male has a rasping, low rrep call. Female’s call resembles Mallard’s but is
higher pitched. Habitat Any wetland. Note Passage and winter hatched.Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope WV
L: 48. W: 80. Rather rufous duck with short neck, rounded, steep forehead and small blue-
grey bill. In all plumages has white belly-patch, obvious in flight and when grazing. Adult male
has creamy-yellow forehead. Adult female rufous to greyish-brown; lacks white forewing.
Juvenile resembles adult female (immature male does not usually assume white forewing until
second winter). In flight, in all plumages shows narrow wings, pointed tail, and contrasting white
belly-patch; white forewing contrasting with blackish-green speculum is distinctive in adult
male. Female and juvenile have grey-brown forewing, darker flight feathers and black speculum.
Voice Male has characteristic clear whistle wheeooo, both in flight and on water; female growls in
flight. Habitat Coastal mudflats, marshes, lakes. Note Passage and winter hatched.