AUSTRALIAN SHOVELLER 



SPATULA RHYNCHOTIS (Latham) 

 (Plate 48) 



Synonymy 

 Anas rhynchotis Latham, Index Ornith., SuppL, p. Ixx, 1801. 

 Rhynchaspis rhynchotis Stephens, General Zool., vol. 12, pt. 2, p. 123, 1824. 

 Spatula rhynchotis G. R. Gray, List Birds British Mus., vol. 3, p. 140, 1844. 

 Spatula variegata Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. London, 1856, p. 51. 

 Rhynchaspis variegata Bonaparte, Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris, vol. 43, p. 650, 

 1856. 



Vernacular Names 

 English: Australian Shoveller, New Zealand Shoveller, New Holland Shoveller, 



Shovel-nosed Duck, Blue-wing. 

 German: Australische Loffelente. 

 Maori: Kuruwhengi. 

 Aborigines of Australia: Bardoongooba. 



DESCRIPTION 



Adttlt Male: Occiput, area along base of culmen, and chin, nearly black; rest of head except an ir- 

 regular whitish band between the bill and the eye, gray, with a bluish or greenish sheen. Mantle and 

 shorter scapulars brown, with light edges to the feathers, except a few of the outer ones which are 

 banded with white. The longer scapulars have a white shaft-stripe and some of them are pale blue on 

 the outer web. Back, rump, upper tail-coverts and tail black, with greenish reflections. Sides of 

 rump with a white patch. A whitish neck-ring seems to be present in very full-plumaged birds but is 

 not seen in my specimens. Upper breast brown with black subterminal markings. Rest of lower 

 surface rich chestnut, irregularly crossed with black bands, which are broader on the flanks. Under 

 tail-coverts black. Outer wing-coverts pale blue except the last row which are broadly tipped with 

 white, forming an anterior wing-bar. Speculum brilliant metallic green, tertials brown, primaries 

 dark brown. Under wing-coverts, except the marginal ones, pure white; axillars white. 



Iris bright or golden yellow. Bill black. Feet orange-yellow (Buller). 



Wing 240-250 mm.; bill 60; tarsus 37. 



Note: As Buller (1888) remarks, there seems to be a great deal of variation in the male plumage. 

 In some specimens the white crescentic face-patches are indistinct, while in others they are broad and 

 well defined and meet under the throat to form an irregular patch. The white on the upper part of 

 the breast and sides of the neck also varies. This writer also describes some partial-albino specimens. 

 One of these is said to resemble the male of the Common Shoveller. 



Adttlt Female: Somewhat resembles the female of the Common Shoveller but is very much darker 

 both above and below. The outer wing-coverts are bluer and the speculum is more brilliant. 



Iris reddish brown. Bill dark brown. Legs and feet pale brown to yellowish. 



Wing 237 mm.; bill 57; tarsus 36. 



