Ruddy Duck Gallery

Ducks, lithograph, published in 1897

Ducks, top row: Common shelduck (Tadorna tadorna, or Tadorna vulpanser); Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos, or Anas boschas); Ruddy shelduck (or Brahminy duck, Casarca rutila); bottom row: White-faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata); Common eider (Somateria mollissima); Wood duck (Aix sponsa). Lithograph, published in 1897

A pair of Brahminy ducks, c. 1595; borders added probably 1800s. Creator: Unknown

A pair of Brahminy ducks, c. 1595; borders added probably 1800s. The Brahminy duck, also known as the ruddy shelduck, can be found throughout Southern Europe, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. This painting accurately depicts the orange colouring of Brahminy ducks and the patches of white on their wings. They are also recognizable by their long legs and short bills. The level of detail in realistic paintings of animals like this one suggests that Mughal artists studied live subjects, such as the waterfowl that lived in Mughal palace gardens

© Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Ruddy Duck - drake, close-up study of head and bill

USH-2184
Ruddy Duck - drake, close-up study of head and bill
Washington Wildfowl and Weltland Trust, Tyne and Wear
Oxyura jamaicensis
Dsit: North and South America, Mexico, West India
Duncan Usher
Please note that prints are for personal display purposes only and may not be reproduced in any way

© Duncan Usher/ardea.com