Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas

Kauaʻi record · kba_bird_northern_shoveler

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

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Northern Shoveler — Adults · male left, female right
Northern Shoveler — Adults · male left, female right · OpenAI image generation; Atlas deterministic typesetting · AI-generated artwork; no third-party photograph reproduced · Image source

About Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) is recorded as a winter visitor on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.

Kauaʻi evidence

Bishop Museum island checklist (version 2, 2017) lists Kauaʻi status W: winter visitor. See original island table. A Hawaiʻi-level record is available, but the species needs a documented Kauaʻi observation before local ecological conclusions are drawn.

Occurrence evidence

bishop_island_checklist_2017

Names and classification

Scientific name
Spatula clypeata
Common names
Northern Shoveler
Family
Anatidae
Order
Anseriformes
Record type
Species

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence
Kauaʻi documented: winter visitor (2017 island checklist)
Origin
Indigenous visitor
Conservation status
Not assessed
Evidence date
2026-09-13
Evidence limits
Island occurrence supported by the 2017 checklist; abundance and current year presence are not established here

Habitat and ecology

Habitats
Wetlands
Food and resource needs
Long, broad bill supports filtering aquatic invertebrates from wetland water and sediments.
Reproduction
Breeding on Kauaʻi is not established; seasonal resting and foraging habitat may be relevant.
Shelter
Shelter and structure within wetlands.

Threats and conservation

Threats
Wetland habitat loss, development, pollution, invasive plants, and avian disease
Conservation actions
Track as a filter-feeding migrant duck in Hanalei/Salt Pond surveys · Avoid using it as a proxy for resident Koloa Maoli ecology
Monitoring
Document date, place, observer, habitat, behavior, and supporting media for any Kauaʻi observation.
Data gaps
Update island status with dated contemporary records · Specific Kauaʻi habitat and abundance need local evidence

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal timing
Wintering Migrant September Or October To March Or April
Seasonal description
Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) is recorded as a winter visitor on Kauaʻi in the Bishop Museum's 2017 island checklist. This is a documented island occurrence, not a claim of an individual sighting in 2026.

Sources and further reading

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