A duck with a characteristic shovel-shaped bill, the male’s plumage is very striking, with green head, black and white back and brown belly. The female is brownish, similar in tone to other female ducks. It is associated with large water bodies and has bred only in the Orellana, Valdecañas and Vuluengo reservoirs, as well as the La Albuera lakes. However it is a very common winter visitor to wetlands throughout Extremadura. It feeds on aquatic vegetation and invertebrates, filtered with its bill.
