Feb - 2011


February - 2011

Dear Nature Lovers,

Greetings from oikos !
We continue with the Migratory Wetland birds this month in 6th year of Desktop Calendars. One of the large distance migrant in India is ‘Ruddy Shelduck’. It travels from Nepal, Ladakh, Tibet to large lakes & rivers in India.
Regards, 
Ketaki & Manasi. 

Ruddy Shelduck 
Zoological name: Tadorna ferruginea
It is also known as, Brahminy Shelduck due to its colour, & ‘Chakrawak’. 
This large, beautiful duck is also mentioned in ancient literature. It is spread over parts of Africa, Europe & Asia, often in Turkey & Iraq too. But main breeding areas are southeast Europe across central Asia to southeast China & wintering in southern Asia. Its favoured habitat is freshwater lakes but often visits polluted water. It is also found away from water in mountains & grasslands. 
It can be easily identified with chestnut brown colour. It is omnivorous, mainly feeds on aquatic vegetation, grain, vegetable shoots, tubers, reptiles, small aquatic life like crabs, mollusks, snails, etc.
It lays 5 – 15 eggs in cliffs, in burrows, trees holes, or crevices away from water in high altitude areas. The chicks travel back to water with parents.
 

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Oikos for ecological services
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