Southern Shoveller

Southern Shoveller, Laratinga Wetlands

Australia has quite a good variety of water fowl, including several species of shoveller ducks. The Southern Shoveller - also called the Australasian Shoveller - is just one of them. I have only seen this species on a handful of occasions. This photo was taken at the Laratinga Wetlands near Mt Barker in the Adelaide Hills, about a half hour drive from my home in Murray Bridge.

The Southern Shoveller is found throughout the eastern half of Australia where there is suitable habitat. They are also present in Tasmania and the south western parts of Western Australia. Their preferred habitat includes lakes, swamps, wetlands, sewage ponds, coastal inlets and other bodies of water.

For more detailed information about Australian birds, and to see more photos of them, I invite you to visit my other site Trevor's Birding.