Any of four species (genus Anas , family Anatidae) of dabbling ducks having a long, spoon-shaped bill.
The migratory northern shoveler ( A. clypeata ) inhabits shallow marshes and lagoons in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The male has a green head, white breast, chestnut belly and sides, and a blue patch on the forewing. It uses its bill to sift small organisms and seeds from the mud; in deeper waters, it skims the surface for plankton. The other species are the South American red shoveler ( A. platalea ); the Cape, or Smith's, shoveler ( A. smithii ) of South Africa; and the Australasian, or blue-winged, shoveler ( A. rhynchotis ).