Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeata
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAnseriformes
- FamilyAnatidae (Anàtids)
- GenusSpatula (Shovelers and Allies)
- SpeciesSpatula clypeata (Northern Shoveler)
The northern shoveler (; Spatula clypeata), often known simply as the shoveler where other related species do not occur, is a common and widespread duck. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and throughout the Palearctic and across most of North America, and winters in southern Europe, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Central America, the Caribbean, 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. 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. Wikipedia →
10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Shoveler sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, based on 129 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve
Cinnamon Teal
Spatula cyanoptera
Blue-winged Teal
Spatula discors
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
Lesser Scaup
Aythya affinis
Brant
Branta bernicla
American Wigeon
Mareca americana
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serrator
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
Redhead
Aythya americana
Bufflehead
Bucephala albeola
Common Goldeneye
Bucephala clangula
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Northern Shoveler in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve?
About 15% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Shoveler sighting in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve, based on 129 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Northern Shoveler in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve?
November has the highest sighting rate for Northern Shoveler in El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve in our monthly data.