[1] The northern shoveler was first formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae.

[7] A molecular phylogentic study comparing mitochondrial DNA sequences published in 2009 found that the genus Anas, as then defined, was non-monophyletic.

The breeding drake has an iridescent dark green head,[14] white breast and chestnut belly and flanks.

In flight, pale blue forewing feathers are revealed, separated from the green speculum by a white border.

Drakes also engage in elaborate courtship behaviors, both on the water and in the air; it is not uncommon for a dozen or more males to pursue a single hen.

It breeds in wide areas across Eurasia, western North America and the Great Lakes region of the United States.

[15] This bird winters in southern Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, the Caribbean, northern South America, Malay Archipelago,[3] Japan[16] and other areas.

[4][5] In the British Isles, home to more than 20% of the North Western European population, it is best known as a winter visitor, although it is more frequently seen in southern and eastern England, especially around the Ouse Washes, the Humber and the North Kent Marshes, and in much smaller numbers in Scotland and western parts of England.

Among North America's duck species, northern shovelers trail only mallards and blue-winged teal in overall abundance.

Their populations have been healthy since the 1960s, and have soared in recent years to more than 5 million birds (2015), most likely because of favorable breeding, migration, and wintering habitat conditions.