Spatula is a genus or subgenus of ducks in the family Anatidae that includes the shovelers, garganey, and several species of American teals.

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

[2] Based on this published phylogeny, the genus Anas was split into four monophyletic genera with 10 species moved into the resurrected genus Spatula.

[3] The genus Spatula had originally been proposed by the German zoologist Friedrich Boie in 1822.

Cladogram based on the analysis of Gonzalez and colleagues published in 2009.