Birds and wildlife

Shoveler

Anas clypeataGroup: Ducks, geese and swansUK Conservation status:Amber

How to identify

Shovelers are surface feeding ducks with huge spatula-shaped bills. Males have dark green heads, with white breasts and chestnut flanks. Females are mottled brown. In flight, birds show patches of light blue and green on their wings. In the UK, they breed in southern and eastern England, especially around the Ouse Washes, the Humber and the North Kent Marshes and in much smaller numbers in Scotland and western parts of England. In winter, breeding birds move south, and are replaced by an influx of continental birds from further north. The UK is home to more than 20 percent of the north-west European population, making it an Amber List species.

Call

Shoveler

Paul Driver / xeno-canto

Key

  1. Resident
  2. Passage
  3. Summer
  4. Winter
* This map is intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
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  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

Where best to see them

Key facts