Northern Shoveler

Anas clypeata

Other Names

  Shoveler, European Shoveler, Common Shoveler   Canard souchet, Souchet ordinaire   Löffelente   Cuchara Común   Skedand   Slobeend   Mestolone

World: Widely distributed N of the equator except for the high arctic.

Kenya: Occurs late October through to early April on permanent waters in the Rift Valley and in the central and western highlands and also at Lake Turkana.

A very distinctive dabbling duck with a large spatulate bill. The male (pictured left) is brightly coloured with dark glossy green plumage on its head and chestnut patches on its belly and sides. The female (pictured right) is a mottled buffy-brown colour. The Shoveler's diet is varied mostly comprising small aquatic invertebrates but it will also take seeds and fruit. It is highly migratory flying south to overwinter in tropical and subtropical regions.