Northern Shoveler

Scientific Name: Spatula clypeata
Malay Name: Itik-Sudu Utara
Chinese Name: 琵嘴鸭
Alternative Name(s): Shoveller, Common Shoveller, Red Shoveller

Range:
Found from Europe to North Africa, temperate Asia and North America, wintering to Equatorial Africa, Indian subcontinent, southern China, Korea, Japan, mainland Southeast Asia, Philippines, Central and South America.

Taxonomy:
Monotypic.

Size: 43-52 cm

Identification:
Male has long, wide, spatula-shaped bill, dark green head and upper neck, white breast, chestnut flanks and black tail-coverts. Female and juvenile can be easily distinguished from other duck species from the distinctive bill shape.

Habitat: Lakes, rivers, marshes and various wetland habitats.

Behaviour/Ecology: Feeds in very shallow water, using its bill to sift through the mud for minute aquatic animals, plants and seeds.

Local Status: Very rare migrant.

Conservation Status: Least Concern (BirdLife International 2019)

Featured articles:

• Bird List Revision for August 2017 (Revisions)

Past accepted records in our database:

Migrant bar chart (see more bar charts):

Northern Shoveler at SBWR. Photo Credit: Frankie Cheong

Northern Shoveler at SBWR. Photo Credit: Frankie Cheong

Northern Shoveler (male) at Tokyo Ueno Park. Photo credit: See Toh Yew Wai

Northern Shoveler (female) at Tokyo Ueno Park. Photo credit: See Toh Yew Wai

Northern Shoveler (male) at Tokyo Ueno Park. Photo credit: See Toh Yew Wai

Northern Shoveler (female) at Tokyo Ueno Park. Photo credit: See Toh Yew Wai

Northern Shoveler (male) at Tokyo Ueno Park. Photo credit: See Toh Yew Wai