Common Shelduck vs Laysan Duck

Tadorna tadorna compared with Anas laysanensis

Key Differences

• Common Shelduck is Least Concern while Laysan Duck is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Shelduck	Laysan Duck
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family same	Anatidae	Anatidae
Genus	Tadorna	Anas
Species	Tadorna tadorna	Anas laysanensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Shelduck and Laysan Duck share a common ancestor at the Family level: Anatidae.

Conservation Status

Common Shelduck

LC — Least Concern

Laysan Duck

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Shelduck	Laysan Duck
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Shelduck

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Taiwan.

Laysan Duck

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and Mediterranean forests and woodlands within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, France, Netherlands, Norway, and United Kingdom. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Shelduck

Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Laysan Duck

Laysan Duck (Anas laysanensis) is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild due to severe population decline and habitat loss.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇴 Norway