Shoveler Call MP3s
Easy to mistake for a hen Mallard on the wing, the spoon-billed Shoveler is a common dabbler across the Northern Hemisphere with its own low, guttural call. Use these recordings to tell it apart or bring birds into range.
Also known as
Recordings (5)
About this species
Around 48 cm in length, the Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) is a duck of the Anatidae family: unmistakable thanks to its huge spatula-shaped bill and bottle-green head over a white breast. It haunts shallow, muddy marshes and nutrient-rich pools where its bill can sieve the water.
The male utters a quiet, gulping 'took-took', most often heard as birds take flight. It filters plankton, tiny seeds and invertebrates through the comb-like lamellae of its great bill. It swims with its great bill held low, filtering the surface, sometimes in spinning groups. A classic quarry of the European wildfowling tradition, it reaches peak abundance on southern marshes during the cold months.
Legal use
The Northern Shoveler is a widespread and abundant dabbling duck, legally hunted as game across the United States and Canada under standard migratory bird regulations, throughout much of the EU and UK (Birds Directive Annex II quarry), and in parts of its Asian and North African wintering range. Global population trends are generally stable, and the species carries a low conservation-concern rating in most assessments, so it is typically managed under the same general duck seasons and bag limits as other common dabblers rather than singled out for extra restriction. Local licensing, season dates and limits still vary by country, so confirm current rules before hunting; see our full country-by-country disclaimer for details.