Windows Vista Administration: The Definitive Guide By Brian Culp
June 2007
Pages: 799

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Colophon

The animal on the cover of Windows Vista Administration: The Definitive Guide is a ruddy shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea). Native to Africa, Europe, and Asia, the ruddy shelduck can be found in freshwater, desert and semidesert, temperate grassland, and mountain habitats.



Members of the duck, goose, and swan family Anatidae, ruddy shelducks are large ducks, at 24-26 inches long and 2-3.5 pounds. They are characterized by ruddy orange-brown plumage and black tails. Adult males have cream-colored heads and a narrow black "collar" during breeding season. Females have a paler, whitish patch on the face. Ruddy shelducks are good swimmers and are also impressive in flight; in fact, they're often mistaken for geese due to their large size. Also similar to geese, the shelduck's call is a loud, coarse honking.



Ruddy shelducks spend more time away from water than most ducks. They pluck
weeds, pick up insects from dry, grassy areas, and rummage around in the soil for
insect larvae. Like other ducks, they search for tasty water weeds and insects by
upending when they are feeding in shallow water. Ruddy shelducks are aggressively territorial around their nests, but are otherwise social, spending much of the year in the company of others, sometimes in flocks of several thousand. Family groups tend to stay together even after the chicks have left the nest.



In some Buddhist countries such as Tibet and Mongolia, the shelduck is highly
revered, as its coloring resembles that of the robes the monks wear. It is also considered a sacred animal in Slavic mythology.

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