Skip to main content

Story: Wetland birds

Australasian shoveler

Image
Australasian shoveler

Australasian shovelers or kuruwhengu have a long, narrow body, and float low in the water. In breeding plumage, males have a narrow white crescent at the base of the bill and a large white rump patch. Their bill is a broad, curved spatula with a pointed tip.

Using this item

New Zealand Herald

Reference: 21 October 2003

by Mark Mitchell

Permission of the New Zealand Herald must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Christina Troup, Wetland birds – Grey ducks, shovelers and scaup, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/14648/australasian-shoveler (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Christina Troup, published 1 March 2009.