Common Name: Red Shoveler Scientific Name: Anas platalea
LEAST CONCERN Red Shoveler Distribution: Southern South America
Habitat: Freshwater Height: 45 - 56cm Weight: 523 - 608g Diet: Omnivorous
The Red Shoveler has a large spatula shaped bill which is black in colour. They have a green area on their wings and blue wing coverts. The colouration of the male varies from a buff red colour through to paler pinks. The legs are orange to yellow in colouration.
They are found in southern South America from Tierra del Fuego north to central Chile and Argentina. The shoveler is not globally threatened.
These ducks feed by filtering food like invertebrates and plankton from the water. The shoveler may dabble or upend but does not dive for food. They also filter mud to find the invertebrates.
The shoveler may breed in pairs or small groups. The female lays 5 – 8 eggs which she incubates for around 25 days. The ducklings fledge at 40 – 45 days. The females will sit on their nests guarding their eggs until the last possible moment before taking flight from predators.