NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Crested Shelduck
Tadorna cristata (Kuroda, 1917)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The crested shelduck (Tadorna cristata) or Korean crested shelduck is a species of bird in the family Anatidae. It is critically endangered. The male crested shelduck has a greenish-black crown, breast, primaries, and tail, while the rest of its face, chin, and throat are brownish black. The male's belly, undertail coverts, and flanks are a dark grey with black striations. The upper wing coverts are white, while its speculum is an iridescent green. The female has a white eye ring, black crest, white face, chin, throat, neck, and upper wing coverts and a dark brown body with white striations. Additionally, both sexes have a distinctive green tuft of feathers protruding from the head. Very little is known about this species because of the limited number of observations of it. It apparently breeds in Korea and eastern Russia and is probably a relict species that had a wider distribution in prehistoric times. Some think that this species is extinct, although occasional sightings are reported, including a number of reports made between 1985 and 1991 from the interior wetlands of China.
Wikipedia contributors, Crested shelduck; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T05:25:33.057736+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Tadorna cristata (Kuroda, 1917)
- Name authority
- (Kuroda, 1917)
- Common name
- Crested Shelduck
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Tadorna
- Extinction status
- Recorded extinct
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae Leach, 1820
- genusTadorna F. Boie, 1822
- speciesTadorna cristata (Kuroda, 1917)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Tadorna. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| South African ShelduckTadorna cana (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna (Linnaeus, 1758) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Australian ShelduckTadorna tadornoides (Jardine & Selby, 1828) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Paradise ShelduckTadorna variegata (J. F. Gmelin, 1789) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea (Pallas, 1764) | AnatidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Pseudotadorna cristata Kuroda, 1917 Kuroda, 1917 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Southern Asia
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175058 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:54GHS. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.