Identification Tips:
Length: 14 inches Wingspan: 31 inches
Large dabbling duck
Large spatulate bill
Juvenile similar to adult female
Adult male alternate:
Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer
Black bill
Eyes yellow
Green head
White lower neck, breast, and tail
Rusty underbody with white band on hind flanks
Dark back, with elongated white scapulars
Pale blue upper secondary coverts
Green speculum with white leading and trailing edges
Adult male basic
Similar to adult female
Adult female:
Eyes brown
Orange bill with dusky patches
Mottled brown and buff head, neck and back
Dusky blue upper secondary coverts
Dull green speculum with white fore border
Similar species:
Large, spatulate bill makes the Northern Shoveler immediately recognizable in all plumages.
Shovelers, 'spoonbills' to many, are early migrants, moving out at the first frost. The largest numbers are in the Central and Pacific flyways. The usual flight is steady and direct. When startled, the small flocks twist and turn in the air like teal.
They are not highly regarded as table birds, because one third of the usual diet is animal matter. Drakes call woh-woh and took-took; the hen's quack is feeble.
