Spatula platalea
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The red shoveler (Spatula platalea) is a species of dabbling duck native to southern South America. The species has a spatula-shaped bill, a green speculum, and light blue upper wing converts. Male shovelers vary in color from red to paler shades of red (and pink), while the females tend to have large, dark bills. Adults reach a size of about 45–56 centimetres (18–22 in), weigh about 523–608 grams (1.153–1.340 lb), and have a wingspan of about 66–73 centimetres (26–29 in).
The red shoveler breeds in the southern half of South America. It ranges from Tierra del Fuego northwards to Chile and most parts of Argentina, as well as to the Falkland Islands; there are small, isolated breeding populations in the southern regions of Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay. They can also be found in the extreme southern regions of Brazil and Uruguay, in isolated coastal populations and also further inland. It inhabits shallow lakes and pools with dense reed beds, intertidal mangrove swamps and marshes. They can also be found in brackish waters, such as coastal lagoons, deltas and estuaries.
Red shovelers have a diet that includes herbs, grasses... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 2 | Tierra del Fuego National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | Nahuel Huapi National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cochabamba | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 2 | Buenos Aires | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 3 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Santiago | 🇨🇱 Chile |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Leipzig Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Nuremberg Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Tiergarten Am Tiergarten 28 in Nürnberg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Temaikén | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 9 | Zoologischer Garten Leipzig | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 12 | Cleres Zoological Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Tracy Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Zoológico de Concepción | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 15 | Tiergarten Am Tiergarten 12 in Nürnberg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 16 | Tiergarten Am Tiergarten 14 in Nürnberg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 17 | Tiergarten Am Tiergarten 6 in Nürnberg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 18 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red Shoveler sighting in Buenos Aires on a given day, based on 404 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 154th most-seen of the 274 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Shoveler in Buenos Aires on a given day, against under 5% in November to August, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red Shoveler sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Red Shoveler sightings, Buenos Aires ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Cochabamba (Bolivia, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Shoveler is recorded against all the birds logged in Buenos Aires (404 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
