All birds/Anatidae/Northern Shoveler
AI reconstruction of Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)AI

AI reconstruction created with Nano Banana 2 · 1K, grounded in the profile’s documented taxonomy, habitat, natural-history sources, and an open-license visual reference when available. It is an interpretive image, not documentary evidence. Image policy

PRB-0013Anseriformes

Northern Shoveler

Pato Cuchareta

Spatula clypeata

Accidental / vagrantIUCN LC · Least Concern

The northern shoveler (; Spatula clypeata), often known simply as the shoveler where other related species do not occur, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and throughout the Palearctic and across most of North America, and winters in southern Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It is a rare vagrant to Australia. In North America, it breeds along the southern edge of Hudson Bay and west of this body of water, and as far south as the Great Lakes west to Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon. The northern shoveler is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The conservation status of this bird is Least Concern.

FamilyAnatidaeDucks, Geese, and Waterfowl
Puerto Rico occurrenceAccidental / vagrantAvibase inferred core 380
Primary habitatwetlandsWetland
Primary dietInvertebrateAquatic predator
Average mass631.5 gGlobal trait estimate
MovementMigratory; Long-distance dispersalAquatic

Sound archive

Hear its voice

Explore real songs and calls. The spectrogram turns each sound into a visual trace of time and frequency.

XC1083641Recording 1 of 3flight call
Spectrogram of Northern Shoveler: flight call
SpectrogramSpatula clypeata

Play: flight call by Robin et Julien SOURIOU

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Sound recorded by Robin et Julien SOURIOU · XC1083641 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. Visualization by Stichting Xeno-canto voor Natuurgeluiden.

Every recording retains the creator, catalogue number, and license published by Xeno-canto. Metadata via GBIF

Island profile

Catalog scopeAvibase inferred core 380

About the Northern Shoveler

The northern shoveler (; Spatula clypeata), often known simply as the shoveler where other related species do not occur, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and throughout the Palearctic and across most of North America, and winters in southern Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. It is a rare vagrant to Australia. In North America, it breeds along the southern edge of Hudson Bay and west of this body of water, and as far south as the Great Lakes west to Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon. The northern shoveler is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. The conservation status of this bird is Least Concern.

Conservation

Least Concern

IUCN LC

Global IUCN
LC
Puerto Rico DNER
No current listing in source crosswalk
Federal ESA
No current listing in source crosswalk
Critical habitat
Not identified in source crosswalk

Natural history

How it lives

Habitat
wetlands
Elevation
0–4000 m
Nest
Scrape · Ground
Clutch
5–14 eggs
Social behavior
Pairs / family groups

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This bird belongs to 6 paths through the atlas.

Evidence trail

Sources, media & further reading