# Cape shoveler (*Spatula smithii*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-shoveler  
Data as of: 2026-11-13

The cape shoveler (Spatula smithii) is a bird in the waterfowl subgroup, belonging to the family Anatidae and the order Anseriformes. It is a small bird, with adults typically about 592 g, and it lives in wetland habitats with an aquatic lifestyle. The IUCN Red List category is Least Concern, and the species is partially migratory with one clutch of 9 eggs per year.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 591.5 g – 646 g |
| Length | 51 cm – 53 cm |
| Lifespan | Not recorded |
| Diet | Aquatic predator |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | wetland |
| Egg incubation | 27.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 9 |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1 |
| Lifestyle | Aquatic |
| Migration | Partial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Anseriformes
- family: Anatidae
- genus: Spatula
- species: *Spatula smithii* E. Hartert, 1891

Synonyms: *Anas smithi*, *Anas smithii*, *Rhynchaspis capensis*, *Spatula capensis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is the cape shoveler?

The cape shoveler is a bird, in the waterfowl subgroup. It belongs to the family Anatidae and the order Anseriformes.

### How much does a cape shoveler weigh?

Adults typically weigh about 592 g, and the highest value reported by our sources is 646 g. It falls in the small size class.

### Is the cape shoveler endangered?

No. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern (LC), a global assessment, and this is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How many eggs does the cape shoveler lay?

A clutch has 9 eggs, with 1 clutch per year. The eggs have an incubation period of 28 days.

### What habitat does the cape shoveler live in?

It lives in wetland habitats and has an aquatic lifestyle. It is partially migratory.

### Who named Spatula smithii?

Spatula smithii carries the authority E. Hartert, 1891.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), CC BY 4.0, v7. Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Cape shoveler (Spatula smithii). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-shoveler