Animalia Life

Anas clypeata
SUBFAMILY
Anatinae
TAXONOMY
Anas clypeata Linnaeus, 1758, coasts of Europe. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Shoveler; French: Canard souchet; German: Lцffelente; Spanish: Cuchara Comъn.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
16.9–22.1 in (43–56 cm); 0.9–2.4 lb (410–1,000 g). Green head, white breast, ruddy underparts.
DISTRIBUTION
Throughout most of the Nearctic and Palearctic. Winters in southern United States south to Colombia, in Mediterranean east to southeastern Asia and south to tropical Africa.
HABITAT
Open, shallow freshwater wetlands and, in winter, brackish waters and tidal mudflats.
BEHAVIOR
Territorial during early breeding season. Males aggressive; use wing noises to advertise their presence on a territory and chase intruders. Migratory.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Omnivorous diet consisting of small aquatic invertebrates, seeds, and vegetative parts of plants. Feed by dabbling.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Seasonally monogamous. Pair bonds last through brood rearing. Breeding season begins in Apr–May. Lays 9–11 eggs in a depression on the ground; incubation c. 22–23 days; fledging 40–45 days; becomes sexually mature at 1 year.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not threatened. Locally common. Listed on Appendix III of CITES for Ghana.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Hunted for food and sport.

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