Hi, my dear friends !
Today I want to tell you a little about my ducks, or rather Ruddy shelducks .
But first some information. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about these amazing creations
The ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea), known in India as the Brahminy duck, is a member of the family Anatidae. It is a distinctive waterfowl, 58 to 70 cm (23 to 28 in) in length with a wingspan of 110 to 135 cm (43 to 53 in). It has orange-brown body plumage with a paler head, while the tail and the flight feathers in the wings are black, contrasting with the white wing-coverts. It is a migratory bird, wintering in the Indian subcontinent and breeding in southeastern Europe and central Asia, though there are small resident populations in North Africa. It has a loud honking call.
The ruddy shelduck mostly inhabits inland water-bodies such as lakes, reservoirs and rivers. The male and female form a lasting pair bond and the nest may be well away from water, in a crevice or hole in a cliff, tree or similar site. A clutch of about eight eggs is laid and is incubated solely by the female for about four weeks. The young are cared for by both parents and fledge about eight weeks after hatching.
In central and eastern Asia, populations are steady or rising, but in Europe they are generally in decline. Altogether, the birds have a wide range and large total population, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed their conservation status as being of least concern.
source
Below I have added a video where you can hear what sounds these amazing ducks make, sometimes at night it seems that a baby is crying somewhere
But in fact, their cute appearance should not deceive you, these ducks are quite aggressive.
They need a fairly large territory that they guard carefully. If they see the nest of other birds, they will most likely destroy them.
Even if the opponent is much larger than them, this will not stop them. Once such a duck drove my dog out of the yard. The unfortunate dog ran so hard that he jumped over an almost two-meter fence!
You can distinguish male and female very easily male has a dark stripe on his neck
