Northern Shoveler

The Northern Shoveler is distinguished by an exceptionally broad, spatula-shaped bill lined with fine comb-like lamellae. Breeding males have a glossy green head, white breast, chestnut flanks and yellow eyes; females are mottled brown with an orange-edged bill. In flight both sexes show pale blue forewings and green speculums, creating a colourful pattern unusual among dabbling ducks (Wikipedia, general species account).

Shovelers feed in shallow wetlands by sweeping the bill from side to side, filtering plankton, seeds and small aquatic animals from the water. Groups sometimes rotate together in tight circles, stirring food toward the surface. They nest on the ground in grass near water, and the female incubates and tends the young. Migrating birds use marshes, ponds, flooded fields and sheltered coastal lagoons (Wikipedia, general species account).