Northern Shoveler

Description: The northern shoveler may be easily recognized by its spoon-shaped bill, which is longer than its head. The drakes are colorful birds with iridescent green heads, white breasts, and chestnut flanks. The wings have green speculums and large light blue shoulder patches, while the bill is black. Hens resemble mallard hens: they’re brown all over with blue shoulder patches and a dull gray or brown bill. Both drakes and hens have orange feet. Drakes are slightly larger than hens. Average size: 17-20 inches. Average weight: 1-2 pounds.

Science: Northern shovelers breed in shallow freshwater lakes, marshes, and seasonally-flooded areas in the prairies of western Minnesota and the Great Lakes area, extending west to the Pacific and north to Alaska. They start their migration by early September and winter in the southernmost US states and Mexico, where they may be found in brackish water or saltwater bays, estuaries, and lagoons. Northern shovelers eat more small animals than any other puddle duck. They feed by straining water through their bills to extract small organisms and can also skim the surface of mud in search of insects, mollusks, other invertebrates, and aquatic plants. Small groups of northern shovelers often mix with other species of waterfowl. The population of these drought-tolerant ducks is increasing.

Hunting: As northern shovelers are considered a low-quality duck, most are taken incidentally, if not unintentionally, by hunters pursuing other dabblers. The eating quality is fair: the meat is dark and can be very strong-tasting due to their diet.