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Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) — photo 1 of 3
© Frank Schulenburg CC BY-SA 4.0

Ducks, geese, and swans · Waterfowl

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Year-round

Voice

Call

Sonothèque ADVL

0:10

Song

Sonothèque ADVL

0:27

Call

Sonothèque ADVL

0:06

How to recognize it

  • 44–52 cm, bigger than a teal, smaller than a pintail

  • Very wide, spatula-like bill

  • Male: dark green head, white breast, chestnut belly

  • In flight, pale blue forewing shows

About the species

The Northern Shoveler has a bill that looks made for straining food from water, and it uses it that way. On the surface, it often sweeps its head from side to side while feeding. Its voice is usually quiet, with the male giving a dull, clucking note and the female a softer quack.

It can be territorial in the breeding season, and males may chase one female in small groups. Outside that period, it tends to keep to small flocks rather than large ones. In flight, it moves well for a duck with such a specialized bill.

It uses open wetlands, marshes, wet grasslands, and shallow lakes with some plant growth. It feeds on aquatic invertebrates, along with seeds and water plants, and in winter it moves south to warmer regions across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.

Where to find

  • Along canal banks and pond edges with reeds — where open water meets a grassy fringe, Northern Shoveler feeds by spinning in place and dipping its broad bill into the surface.

  • At the quiet margins of city lakes early in the morning — often in small groups, sweeping side to side as they strain food from the water.

  • In shallow backwaters and muddy shallows after rain — staying close to the edge, sometimes lifting off with quick wingbeats.

  • On wet lakeside lawns and grassy patches near water — especially in spring, when the female looks for a hidden nest site and keeps to taller cover.

You might also see

Sources