shoveler

shoveler
/shuv"euh leuhr, shuv"leuhr/, n.
1. a person or thing that shovels.
2. Ornith.
a. a freshwater duck of the Northern Hemisphere, Anas clypeata, having a broad, flat bill.
b. any of several related, similar ducks.
Also, esp. Brit., shoveller.
[1400-50; late ME; see SHOVEL, -ER1]

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Any of four species (genus Anas, family Anatidae) of dabbling ducks having a long, spoon-shaped bill.

The migratory northern shoveler (A. clypeata) inhabits shallow marshes and lagoons in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The male has a green head, white breast, chestnut belly and sides, and a blue patch on the forewing. It uses its bill to sift small organisms and seeds from the mud; in deeper waters, it skims the surface for plankton. The other species are the South American red shoveler (A. platalea); the Cape, or Smith's, shoveler (A. smithii) of South Africa; and the Australasian, or blue-winged, shoveler (A. rhynchotis).

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bird
      any of four species of dabbling ducks in the genus Anas (family Anatidae) with large, long, spoon-shaped bills. The northern shoveler (A. clypeata) nests in North America, Europe, and northern Asia, migrating to South America, North Africa, and southern Asia in winter. The male has a green head, white breast, chestnut belly and sides, and a blue patch on the forewing. It is not highly desired as a game bird, because of the poor flavour of the meat—hence the hunters' sobriquet “neighbour's mallard,” i.e., best given away to one less discerning. Shovelers appear somewhat humpbacked in the air, although they are rapid fliers. They inhabit shallow marshes and lagoons, where they use their large bills, lined with comblike teeth (lamellae), to sift small organisms and seeds from the mud. In deeper waters the northern shoveler skims the surface for plankton. Other species are the red shoveler (A. platalea) of South America; the Cape, or Smith's, shoveler (A. smithii) of South Africa; and the Australasian, or blue-winged, shoveler (A. rhynchotis) of New Zealand and Australia.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Shoveler — Shov el*er, n. [Also shoveller.] 1. One who, or that which, shovels. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo[ o]l.) A river duck ({Spatula clypeata}), native of Europe and America. It has a large bill, broadest towards the tip. The male is handsomely variegated… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • shoveler — or shoveller [shuv′əl ər, shuv′lər] n. 1. a person or thing that shovels 2. a freshwater duck (Anas clypeata) with a very long, broad, flattened bill, living in the Northern Hemisphere mainly in marshes: also called northern shoveler …   English World dictionary

  • shoveler — (Amer.) n. one who shovels, one who digs or moves material with a shovel; freshwater duck with a long broad bill that lives in the northern hemisphere, broadbill …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Shoveler — Taxobox name = Shoveler image width = 250px image caption = Red Shoveler regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Anseriformes familia = Anatidae genus = Anas genus authority = Linnaeus, 1758 probable genus = Spatula The… …   Wikipedia

  • shoveler — /ˈʃʌvələ / (say shuvuhluh) noun 1. Also, shoveller. a nomadic, freshwater duck, Anas rhynchotis, of Australia and New Zealand, having a heavy, dark, spatulate bill; Australian shoveler; Australasian shoveler. 2. Also, shoveller. a common and… …  

  • shoveler — noun 1. a worker who shovels a shoveler of coal • Syn: ↑shoveller • Derivationally related forms: ↑shovel • Hypernyms: ↑worker 2. freshwater duck of the northern hemisphere having a broad flat bill …   Useful english dictionary

  • shoveler — or shoveller noun Date: 15th century 1. one that shovels 2. any of several freshwater ducks (genus Anas) that have a large very broad bill and feed by dabbling …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • shoveler — noun a) One who, or that which, shovels. The sand was loaded by 3 shovelers into wheelbarrows holding 3.6 cu. ft. each... b) Any of four species of dabbling duck, in the genus Anas, with distinctive spatulate bills …   Wiktionary

  • shoveler — a dabbling duck with a long broad bill. → shoveller …   English new terms dictionary

  • shoveler — shov·el·er …   English syllables

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