Cape Shoveler
Spatula smithii
A large, elongated, speckled, brown duck with a distinctive and extended spatula-shaped black bill. In flight the sky-blue forewing is distinctive; no other regularly occurring duck species shares this feature. Male has a gray head, yellow eye, and yellow-orange feet; female has a rusty-brown head, dark eye, and gray-yellow feet. Within its range, the Northern Shoveler is an extremely rare vagrant, and it differs from Cape Shoveller by the following features: male in breeding plumage has a green head and chestnut belly; female and juvenile are in general paler and more warmly colored, but some individuals may be inseparable from female Cape Shoveller.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Spatula smithii
- Authority
- Hartert, EJO, 1891
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
- Genus
- Spatula
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
Andaman Cuckoo-Dove
Macropygia rufipennis
A slim, long-tailed dove with small head and legs. Rust-colored throughout with faint barring around the neck and breast. Common but inconspicuous in forests and along forest edges, where birds feed on fruits and berries. Known to feed on the ground, but usually sticks closer to the canopy. The call is a thin, low, double-noted “whoo-whup.”
Red Kite
Milvus milvus
Distinctive large, graceful raptor with a fairly long, forked, rusty-orange tail. Flies with easy languid wingbeats and lazy glides, circling gracefully over fields and roadsides. Can be confused with Black Kite; note overall more reddish coloration, paler face, larger white patches on the underwings, and more deeply forked tail. Inhabits varied semiopen habitats, from woodland to farmland and moorland with hedges and wooded patches; locally in urban areas. Often scavenges with crows.
Zebra Dove
Geopelia striata
A small, grayish brown dove with dark bars on the breast and back, and bare blue skin around the eye. The call is a rapid series of short “coos,” higher pitched and faster than Spotted Dove. Native to Southeast Asia, but introduced to many islands, including the Hawaiian Islands, French Polynesia, Mauritius, and the Seychelles. It is generally quite abundant throughout both its native and non-native range, especially in urban and suburban areas; typically not found in dense forests.
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