The Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis) is a species of dabbling duck and occurs in south-western and south-eastern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.

The male has a blue-grey head with a vertical white crescent in front of the eyes.

The Australasian Shoveler pictured here is the female with young, photographed in Alice Springs (Central Australia).

Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT © Dorothy Latimer
Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT © Dorothy Latimer
Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT © Dorothy Latimer
Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis), Alice Springs Sewage Ponds, NT © Dorothy Latimer

  • Scientific classification
  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Subphylum: Vertebrata
  • Informal: Gnathostomata
  • Class: Aves
  • Order: Anseriformes
  • Family: Anatidae
  • Subfamily: Anatinae
  • Genus: Spatula
  • Species: Spatula shynchotis

Footnote & References

  1. Australasian shoveler, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australasian_shoveler
  2. Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis), eBird, https://ebird.org/species/aussho1
  3. Spatula rhynchotis (Latham, 1801), Australasian Shoveler, Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/ALA_DR653_101

BirdsBird Index Apostlebird Australasian Figbird Australasian Gannet Australasian Grebe Australasian Robins Australasian Pipit Australasian Shoveler (Spatula rhynchotis) Australasian Wrens Australian Babblers Australian Brush-turkey (Alectura lathami) Australian Bustard Australian Chats Australian Magpie Australian Pelican Australian Pratincole (Stiltia isabella) Australian White Ibis Bassian Thrush Black-faced Woodswallow Black Swan Bowerbirds Brolga Brown Songlark Channel-billed Cuckoo Cinnamon Quail-thrush Cormorants Cuckooshrikes and Allies Dotterels Lapwings Plovers Doves & Pigeons Emu Fairy Martin Finches Freckled Duck Grey Fantail Grey Teal Honeyeaters Ibises Kingfishers Little Friarbird Little Grassbird Magpie-lark Masked Woodswallow Noisy Pitta Olive Whistler Paradise Riflebird Pardalotes Parrots Pheasant Coucal Pied Butcherbird Rainbow Bee-eater Raptors Rufous Fantail Redthroat Rufous Bristlebird Silver-crowned Friarbird Torresian Crow Waders Welcome Swallow (Hirundo neoxena) Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) White-browed Woodswallow White Capped Noddy White-faced Heron White-necked Heron Willie Wagtail Yellow-throated Scrubwren