Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeata
Also known as: Shoveler, Shoveller
About This Species
Look for a dabbling duck with a distinctively oversized, spatulate bill held low and swept side to side through the water as it filters out seeds, invertebrates and plankton. It favours shallow lakes, marshes and flooded fields, often gathering in loose groups and spinning slowly together to stir up food. Wintering flocks are easiest to find at wetland reserves from autumn through early spring, with breeding pairs appearing on quieter ponds in summer.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Watch from a hide, path or vehicle rather than walking directly toward open water, since flushed waterfowl waste energy they need for migration and winter survival.
- Wild bird protections in the UK, EU and much of North America restrict deliberate disturbance at nest sites and during the breeding season, though exact rules and seasonal dates differ by country, so check local regulations before approaching a nesting area.
- Keeping to at least the width of the water body between you and the birds is a reasonable general practice.
LCAvesAnseriformesAnatidae
Seasonal Activity
6,095,230 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.