7 thoughts on “Crested Shelduck (Tadorna cristata)”
I believe this species is extinct. I knew the Chinese coordinator of the 1980 investigation, the late Prof Zhao Zhengjie of Jilin. He told me that he only received a few reports after he distributed leaflets of the Crested Shelduck. None of those reports in the 1980s could be positively confirmed (those ‘strange ducks’ seen by hunters were more likely to be hybrid ducks). Since the 2000s numbers of birdwatchers increased a lot in China and Korea but nothing has been reported in these 25 years. So it is almost certain this species is now extinct.
Adding to the reservations expressed by Tomek (1999) concerning the claim from DPRK, she pointed out that she had been unable to meet the observer, O Myong Sok, and therefore used generalities to cast doubt on the claim. I worked closely with him for several years in the late 1990s-early 2000s and while he was (he has now died) an enthusiastic and informed advocate for wildlife conservation, his bird identification skills were uneven (that’s putting it politely) and this was coupled with a lack of restraint in claiming exciting birds. While a Crested Shelduck might seem unmistakeable, in my presence he claimed, on different occasions, both a Little Grebe and a Herring Gull (sensu lato) as Yellow-billed Loons. While it can never be known whether his claim of Crested Shelduck was genuine, it is certainly correct to discount it from understanding the species’s C20th status.
Working in the field in Primorye (the area of the lst record in 1964), Russia, for 25 years I never heard on the even doubtful record of Crested Shelduck. I think it extincted a while ago.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 2 February 2026. We will now analyse and interpret the information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’ Red List category on this page on 2 February 2026, when discussions will re-open.
Based on available information, our preliminary proposal for the 2026 Red List would be to adopt the proposed classification outlined in the initial forum discussion.
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 8 February 2026, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN.
The final 2026 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites later this year, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments. We will analyse and interpret the information, and a final decision on this species’ Red List category will be posted on this page on 16 February 2026.
Recommended categorisation to be put forward to IUCN
The final categorisation for this species has not changed. Crested Shelduck is recommended to be listed as Extinct.
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the 2026.1 GTB Forum process. The final Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites later this year, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
I believe this species is extinct. I knew the Chinese coordinator of the 1980 investigation, the late Prof Zhao Zhengjie of Jilin. He told me that he only received a few reports after he distributed leaflets of the Crested Shelduck. None of those reports in the 1980s could be positively confirmed (those ‘strange ducks’ seen by hunters were more likely to be hybrid ducks). Since the 2000s numbers of birdwatchers increased a lot in China and Korea but nothing has been reported in these 25 years. So it is almost certain this species is now extinct.
Adding to the reservations expressed by Tomek (1999) concerning the claim from DPRK, she pointed out that she had been unable to meet the observer, O Myong Sok, and therefore used generalities to cast doubt on the claim. I worked closely with him for several years in the late 1990s-early 2000s and while he was (he has now died) an enthusiastic and informed advocate for wildlife conservation, his bird identification skills were uneven (that’s putting it politely) and this was coupled with a lack of restraint in claiming exciting birds. While a Crested Shelduck might seem unmistakeable, in my presence he claimed, on different occasions, both a Little Grebe and a Herring Gull (sensu lato) as Yellow-billed Loons. While it can never be known whether his claim of Crested Shelduck was genuine, it is certainly correct to discount it from understanding the species’s C20th status.
Working in the field in Primorye (the area of the lst record in 1964), Russia, for 25 years I never heard on the even doubtful record of Crested Shelduck. I think it extincted a while ago.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments until 2 February 2026. We will now analyse and interpret the information, and we will post a preliminary decision on this species’ Red List category on this page on 2 February 2026, when discussions will re-open.
Preliminary proposal
Based on available information, our preliminary proposal for the 2026 Red List would be to adopt the proposed classification outlined in the initial forum discussion.
There is now a period for further comments until the final deadline on 8 February 2026, after which the recommended categorisations will be put forward to IUCN.
The final 2026 Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites later this year, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.
Many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this discussion. We greatly appreciate the time and effort invested in commenting. The window for consultation is now closed and we are unable to accept any more comments. We will analyse and interpret the information, and a final decision on this species’ Red List category will be posted on this page on 16 February 2026.
Recommended categorisation to be put forward to IUCN
The final categorisation for this species has not changed. Crested Shelduck is recommended to be listed as Extinct.
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the 2026.1 GTB Forum process. The final Red List categories will be published on the BirdLife and IUCN websites later this year, following further checking of information relevant to the assessments by both BirdLife and IUCN.