Shoveler, any of four species of dabbling ducks in the genus Anas (family Anatidae) with large, long, spoon-shaped bills. It winters from Oregon south to California and east across the southern United States and up the east coast to New Jersey. ©Nigel Key Northern Shoveler (Slimbridge April 2013) The Northern Shoveler, or Shoveller, is a dabbling duck and is common in northern areas of Europe, Asia and North America. The northern shoveler is a ground-nesting species that uses grasslands primarily in the Prairie Pothole Region of the north-central U.S. and central Canada.
In the winter they can be found near freshwater marshes, swamps, and flooded areas.
Breeding habitat is in open country (prairie or tundra), or lowland woodlands and clearings, always near shallow water. Northern Shovelers inhabit shallow, marshy ponds and wetlands at low elevations. Habitat
Tiny crustaceans, mollusks, algae, insects. Habitat Northern Shovelers use shallow wetlands with submerged vegetation during the breeding season, nesting along the margins and in the neighboring grassy fields. If the bill doesn’t catch your eye, the male's blocky color palette sure will, with its bright white chest, rusty sides, and … Varies with season and habitat.
Though less numerous than in ancient times, the Northern Shoveler and other marsh ducks have lately become relatively abundant because game departments and private organizations in Canada, the United States, and Mexico have purchased wetland habitat to ensure their survival. The hen is buff and light brown with grayish shoulder patches. In winter may feed mostly on seeds and other parts of aquatic plants, such as sedges, pondweeds, grasses, and others. The Northern Shoveler is a common and widespread duck. Northern Shoveler Images, Facts and Information: Spatula clypeata (formerly Anas clypeata) Northern Shovelers are medium sized, dabbling ducks with very long bills which are wider at the base. The Shovelers bill has developed a comb like structure on its edges which acts like a … In winter, also coastal bays, tidal estuaries, brackish lagoons. It breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, and is a rare vagrant to Australia. The northern shoveler (/ ˈ ʃ ʌ v əl ər /; Spatula clypeata), known simply in Britain as the shoveler, is a common and widespread duck.It breeds in northern areas of Europe and across the Palearctic and across most of North America, wintering in southern Europe, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Central, and northern South America.It is a rare vagrant to Australia. Perhaps the most outwardly distinctive of the dabbling ducks thanks to its large spoon-shaped bill, the Northern Shoveler busily forages head down in shallow wetlands. In North America, it breeds along the southern edge of Hudson Bay and west of this body of water, and as far south as the Great Lakes west to Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon. The drake has a green head and neck, a white breast, brown sides and pale blue shoulder patches. In winter, this species uses a wide variety of wetlands, including flooded agricultural fields, coastal lagoons, estuaries, freshwater marshes, and even deep-water lakes and reservoirs. Diet: Aquatic vegetation such as pondweeds, sedges, grasses, and water lilies. With bold pied plumage and a long crest, the tufted duck is a distinctive diving duck and a member of the Anatidae bird family with other ducks, geese, and swans. During winter and migration they will use virtually any wetland as long as it has muddy edges.
The northern shoveler (A. clypeata) nests in North America, Europe, and northern Asia, migrating to South America, North Africa, and southern Asia in winter. Habitat During the breeding season, Northern Shovelers are found in shallow pools and marshes that have good cover and dry areas nearby for nesting. The northern shoveler can be found in marshes and prairie potholes. Males in breeding plumage have black bills, iridescent green heads, white breasts and chestnut flanks, they are much duller in nonbreeding plumage. Its uniquely shaped bill has comblike projections along its edges, which filter out tiny crustaceans and seeds from the water. The Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata, is so named because of its large distinctive spoon-shaped bill – black in the drake and brown in the hen.
Outside of the breeding season they forage in saltmarshes, estuaries, lakes, flooded fields, wetlands, agricultural ponds, and …