Birds
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadorna · Călifar alb
A large, goose-like duck of the coast and saline waters, white with a dark green head and a chestnut breast band.
At a glance
- Status in Romania
- Resident
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Diet
- Mainly aquatic invertebrates and small fish, plus some plant material; feeds on exposed mudflats and in water.
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
Photograph this species
- Best months
- All year
- Best time / activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
- Where to look
- Coastal lagoons and mudflats around the Delta and Dobrogea.
Months confirmed by a Romanian source. General guidance, not local sightings.
Photography Guide
Practical starting points based on the species’ behaviour and habitat, not fixed rules.
- Where and how to look
- Coastal lagoons and mudflats around the Delta and Dobrogea.
- Best time / activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Behaviour to anticipate
- Feeding on exposed mudflats and low flight lines along the shore.
- Photography difficulty
- Moderate
- Starting shutter speed
- 1/2000 sec for flight along the water.
- Fieldcraft
- Mudflat edges are open; use a low profile and let feeding birds work towards you.
- Ethics
- Do not feed birds to attract them, and avoid flushing resting or feeding flocks.
Identification
White body, dark green-black head and neck, chestnut breast band and red bill; the male has a knob at the base of the bill.
Habitat
Coastal saline and brackish waters, but also freshwater lakes, marshes and rivers.
Distribution
The Black Sea coast, the Danube Delta and the lagoon system.
Approximate range in Romania
Diet
Mainly aquatic invertebrates and small fish, plus some plant material; feeds on exposed mudflats and in water.
Behaviour
Feeds on mudflats at low water and gathers in groups on coastal waters in the cold season.
Seasonality in Romania
Breeds in Romania; in the cold season it gathers in aggregations on coastal waters.
PresentRareAbsentUnknown
Presence
Breeding
Migration
Wintering
About this data
Source-verified months inform the seasonal filters. Local timing can vary. Unconfirmed months do not imply absence. Presence verification is separate from monthly status; each month's details identify its verification. Lighter bands mark estimated timing. Empty event rows mean no event is recorded, not confirmed absence.
Breeding
Breeding starts in April–May.