Spatula clypeata
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Mass
~610 g
Habitat
Wetlands and marshes
Diet
Fish and aquatic animals
How to recognize it
The Northern Shoveler stands out first of all by its unusually broad bill, which gives the front end a very distinctive look. It is otherwise a fairly calm, unshowy duck that moves around water with steady, unhurried confidence.
It is usually quiet. When it does call, the male gives a dull, clucking note and the female answers with a softer quack; while feeding, shovelers often turn in place and strain the water for tiny food.
It favors open wetlands with some vegetation, but not lakes and rivers tightly closed in by forest. It breeds in temperate parts of Eurasia and North America, and in winter it shifts farther south to coasts, lagoons, marshes, and other unfrozen waters.
Quick Facts
Listen to the call
The Northern Shoveler stands out first of all by its unusually broad bill, which gives the front end a very distinctive look. It is otherwise a fairly calm, unshowy duck that moves around water with steady, unhurried confidence.
It is usually quiet. When it does call, the male gives a dull, clucking note and the female answers with a softer quack; while feeding, shovelers often turn in place and strain the water for tiny food.
It favors open wetlands with some vegetation, but not lakes and rivers tightly closed in by forest. It breeds in temperate parts of Eurasia and North America, and in winter it shifts farther south to coasts, lagoons, marshes, and other unfrozen waters.
