Abstract
Adult South African shelducks, T. cana, have 2 body molts and 1 wing-feather molt per year. The pre-nuptial body-molt takes place during March and the post-nuptial body-molt during Oct. Wing-molt occurs during Nov. and Dec. There are 23 localities where wing-molt is known to occur, of which 16 are situated in the Orange Free State. Based on maximum numbers recorded during the wing-molt season the 23 localities may carry 30,000 shelducks, which are considered to be at least 70% of the total South African shelduck population.