BirdUp · Species
Australasian Shoveler
Spatula rhynchotis(Latham, 1801)
Updated
At a glance
The Australasian Shoveler is a large bird, about 45–55 cm long, listed as Least Concern and native to Australia. It can be seen year-round.
- Size
- 45–55 cm
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
- Origin
- Native
- Best seen
- Year-round
- Commonness
- Very common
01 · Identification
How to tell it apart
What does an Australasian Shoveler look like?
The Australasian Shoveler is a large bird, about 45–55 cm long and weighing 530–852 g.
The Australasian shoveler is a species of dabbling duck in the genus Spatula. It ranges from 46 to 53 cm. It lives in heavily vegetated swamps. In Australia it is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. They occur in southwestern and southeastern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand. The male has a blue-grey head with a vertical white crescent in front of the eyes.
Description · wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
03 · When
When to look
When can you see an Australasian Shoveler?
The Australasian Shoveler is present across its Australian range year-round, so it can be seen in any month.
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
05 · Behaviour
Habits and haunts
What does an Australasian Shoveler eat?
The Australasian Shoveler feeds on seeds, intertidal invertebrates and fish/invertebrates, usually foraging in flocks.
06 · Gallery
Plumage up close
6 photos
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