Red Shoveler - BirdForum Opus

Male and Female
Photo © by Luis R
Santo Domingo. Region Valparaiso. Chile, August 2015

Spatula platalea

Identification

45–56 cm (17¾-22 in); A large bill
Male

• Cinnamon overall plumage
• Spots on the breast and flanks
• Plain greyish-brown head and neck
• White eye
  

Females

• Brownish-grey
• Plain face
• Dark eye

Distribution

Female
Photo © by Luis R
Batuco Wetland. Santiago Metropolitan Region, Chile, August 2018

South America: found in Argentina and Chile but migrates to Peru and Brazil.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species^[1].
Formerly placed in the genus Anas.

Habitat

Wetlands, lakes, lagoons and estuaries. They have a preference for brackish water.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists of seeds and aquatic plants and invertebrates.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved March 2016)
3. Arthur Grosset

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Red Shoveler. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 14 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Red_Shoveler

External Links

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