Ducks, Geese & Swans in Cardiff
Our list for Cardiff has 17 ducks, geese & swans recorded regularly there: 7 residents, 6 winter visitors, 2 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Cardiff in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 17, most common first
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaResidentCommon40–47 cmRecorded all year
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year
PochardAythya ferinaWinter visitorCommon42–49 cmRegularly Jul–Mar
Common MerganserMergus merganserWinter visitorCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian TealAnas creccaWinter visitorCommon34–38 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaResidentUncommon58–67 cmRegularly Oct–Jul
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentUncommon75–90 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaPassage migrantUncommon40–51 cmRegularly Oct–Dec
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Sep–Feb
Greater ScaupAythya marilaWinter visitorUncommon39–56 cmRegularly Dec–Feb
Northern PintailAnas acutaWinter visitorUncommon59–76 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopePassage migrantUncommon42–51 cmRegularly Sep–Jan
GadwallMareca streperaResidentUncommon46–56 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
GarganeySpatula querquedulaScarceUncommon37–41 cm
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraScarceRare43–54 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Eurasian Teal 34–38 cm
- Garganey 37–41 cm
- Tufted Duck 40–47 cm
- Pochard 42–49 cm
- Goldeneye 40–51 cm
- Eurasian Wigeon 42–51 cm
- Northern Shoveler 44–51 cm
- Greater Scaup 39–56 cm
- Common Scoter 43–54 cm
- Gadwall 46–56 cm
- Mallard 50–65 cm
- Common Shelduck 58–67 cm
- Common Merganser 58–68 cm
- Northern Pintail 59–76 cm
- Greylag Goose 75–90 cm
- Canada Goose 76–110 cm
- Mute Swan 140–160 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made