The Australasian ShovelerAnas rhynchotis is a species of dabbling duck in the genus Anas. It lives in heavily vegetated swamps. In Australia it is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. They occur in southwestern and southeastern Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. It has a huge bill. A distinctive feature is the vertical white line behind the bill and in front of the eye. In flight they show bright blue-green secondary’s, and light blue leading edge wing feathers (2489).
These photos were taken at the Penguin Place, Dunedin, NZ.