Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 17.3–20.1 in
44–51 cm - Weight
- 14.1–28.9 oz
400–820 g
Other Names
- Shoveler
- Canard souchet (French)
- Pato chucharrón norteño (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The bill of the Northern Shoveler is about 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) long. The bill has has about 110 fine projections (called lamellae) along the edges, for straining food from water.
- Northern Shoveler pairs are monogamous, and remain together longer than pairs of other dabbling duck species.
- When flushed off the nest, a female Northern Shoveler often defecates on its eggs, apparently to deter predators.
Habitat
Marsh
Breeds in open, shallow wetlands. In winter, inhabits both freshwater and saline marshes.
Food
Plants
Small swimming invertebrates and some seeds.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 8–12 eggs
- Egg Description
- Pale greenish gray or olive-buff.
- Condition at Hatching
- Covered in down and able to walk and swim.
Nest Description
A simple scrape lined with down and usually surrounded on at least three sides by vegetation. Placed in short vegetation near water.
Nest Placement
Ground
Behavior
Dabbler
Males exhibit elaborate courtship behavior, including various calls, turns, dips, and wing flaps.Forages by swimming along with bill lowered into the water, straining out small crustaceans and other invertebrates. It does not commonly tip its head and upper body forward into the water.
Conservation
Least Concern
Breeding populations appear to be relatively stable.
Credits
- Dubowy, P. J. 1996. Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata). In The Birds of North America, No. 217 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and the American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.