Spatula platalea
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
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 Nahuel Huapi National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 95th most-seen of the 111 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red Shoveler in Nahuel Huapi National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to July, the lowest months. That is one of Nahuel Huapi National Park's wettest months, with about 250 mm of rain against 55 mm in February.
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.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Red Shoveler sightings, Nahuel Huapi National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Torres del Paine National Park (Chile, about 20%) and Tierra del Fuego National Park (Argentina, under 5%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Red Shoveler that you can see in Nahuel Huapi National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Ashy-headed Goose (about 40%), Yellow-billed Pintail (about 30%) and Flying Steamer-Duck (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red Shoveler is recorded against all the birds logged in Nahuel Huapi National Park (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
