Australasian Shoveler
Spatula rhynchotis
Also known as: Australian Shoveler
About This Species
A dabbling duck of shallow wetlands, lagoons and flooded grassland across Australia and New Zealand, easily identified by its long, spatulate bill held low to the water as it filter-feeds by swinging its head side to side. Males show a dark green head and chestnut flanks, while females are mottled brown like many dabbling ducks. Sheltered wetland margins with muddy shallows are the most reliable places to find small groups feeding together.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- Stay back from the water's edge and avoid walking directly at feeding birds, since flushing a group wastes energy they need for feeding and can scatter a pair or family.
- A vehicle or hide at a wetland reserve usually gives closer views with far less disturbance than an approach on foot across open ground.
- Wetland reserves across its Australian and New Zealand range often carry their own access rules, which should be followed alongside general caution around waterbirds.
LCAvesAnseriformesAnatidae
Seasonal Activity
167,210 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
Photo
(c) Amaya M., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Amaya M.
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.