Northern Shoveler Identification

The Four Keys to ID

• Size & Shape

  The aptly named Northern Shoveler has a shovel-shaped bill that quickly sets it apart from other dabbling ducks. It is a medium-sized duck that tends to sit with its rear a bit higher out of the water almost like its bill is pulling its front half down.

  Relative Size

  Larger than an American Coot, smaller than a Mallard.

  crow-sized

  Measurements

  • Both Sexes
  • • Length: 17.3-20.1 in (44-51 cm)
    • Weight: 14.1-28.9 oz (400-820 g)
    • Wingspan: 27.2-33.1 in (69-84 cm)

  © Dick Horsey / Macaulay Library

• Color Pattern

  Breeding male shovelers are bold white, blue, green, and rust, but their most notable feature is their white chest and white lower sides. In flight, males flash blue on the upper wing and green on the secondaries (the speculum). Female and immature shovelers are mottled in brown and have powdery-blue on the wings that is sometimes visible on resting birds. Their very large orange bill is their most notable field mark.

• Behavior

  Northern Shovelers often have their heads down in shallow wetlands, busily sweeping their bills side to side, filtering out aquatic invertebrates and seeds from the water.
• Habitat

  Northern Shovelers forage in shallow wetlands, coastal marshes, rice fields, flooded fields, lakes, and sewage lagoons. They nest along the margins of wetlands or in neighboring grassy areas.