Northern Shoveler, Slobeend, Löffelente, Pato-trombeteiro, Cuchara Común
Spotted in the Alentejo region of Portugal. Northern Shoveler sound
The Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata), Northern Shoveller in British English, sometimes known simply as the Shoveler, is a common and widespread duck.
It breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, wintering in southern Europe, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Central 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.
More photos at the bottom of this page:
The Northern Shoveler is sometimes referred to by hunters as the “spoony”. Other disparaging names, as compared to the mallard, are the “smiling mallard” and the “Poor Man’s Mallard”.
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.
This species is unmistakable in the northern hemisphere due to its large spatulate bill. The breeding drake has an iridescent dark green head, white breast and chestnut belly and flanks. In flight, pale blue forewing feathers are revealed, separated from the green speculum by a white border. In early fall the male will have a white crescent on each side of the face. In non-breeding (eclipse) plumage, the drake resembles the female.
The female is a drab mottled brown like other dabblers, with plumage much like a female Mallard, but easily distinguished by the long broad bill, which is gray tinged with orange on cutting edge and lower mandible. The female’s forewing is gray. They are 19 inches (48 cm) long and have a wingspan of 30 inches (76 cm) with a weight of 600 grams (1.3 lb).
Other synonyms:
Afrikaans: Europese Slopeend
Asturian: Coríu Cuyar, Cuchareta
Breton: An houad beg-golvazh
Catalan: Ànec cullerot, Cullerot
Catalan (Balears): Cullerot
Valencian: Cullerot
Welsh: Hwyaden biglydan, Hwyaden lydanbig
Danish: Skeand
German: Europäische Löffelente, Löffelente
English: Broad-nosed Duck, Common Shoveler, European Shoveler, European Shoveller, Northen Shoveller, Northern Shoveler, Northern Shoveler/Shoveler, Northern Shoveller, Shoveler, Shoveller, Spoonbill Duck
Esperanto: Kuleranaso
Spanish: Cuchara Común, Cuchareta, Pato Chucara, pato chucharón-norteño, Pato Cuchara, Pato cuchara común, Pato Cuchareta, Pato Cucharo, pato cucharón norteño, Pato Cucharón-norteño, Pato pico de cuchara
Estonian: Luitsnokk-part
Basque: Ahate mokozabala, Ànec cullerot
Finnish: Lapasorsa
Faroese: Skeiðont, Skeið-ont, Spónont, Spón-ont
French: Canard souchet, Canard souchet ordinaire, Souchet, Souchet ordinaire
Frisian: Slob
Irish: Slapaire, Spadalach
Gaelic: Gob-Leathann, Lach a’ghuib Leathainn
Galician: Ànec cullerot, Cullerete
Manx: Thunnag ny Sleryst, Thunnag y cleayst
Haitian Creole French: Jeneral
Croatian: Patka Žlicarka
Hungarian: Kanalas réce, Kanalasréce
Icelandic: Skeiðönd
Italian: Mestolone, Mestolone comune
Japanese: hashibirogamo, Hashi-biro-gamo, Hashibiro-gamo, Kuchi-gamo
Cornish: Gelvyn ledan
Latin: Anas clypeata, Anas spathula, Spatula clypeata
Malay: Itik Paruh Sudu
Maltese: Palettuna
Dutch: Slobeend
Norwegian: Skjeand, Skovland
Polish: plaskonos
Portuguese: pato trombeteiro, Pato-colhereiro, Pato-trombeteiro, Pato-trombeteiro-europeu
Romansh: Anda da la palutta
Russian: Shirokonoska
Scots: Lach a’ghuib leathainn
Northern Sami: Bastesuorsi
Slovenian: raca žlicarica
Albanian: Sqepluga
Serbian: patka kašikara, Plovka kašikara
Swedish: Skedand
Swahili: Sepeto
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