Northern Shoveler

Description:

Male: Dark, glossy green head, black back with white chest, sides and belly are chestnut brown. Bill: Long, black with shovel like bill (wider at tip than base) Female: Overall mottled brownish grey with some dark brown feathers with light edges. Bill: Long, olive greenish with yellow edges, shovel like shape. Avg length M 19.4 " F 19 "

Habitat:

Open shallow wetlands, both freshwater and brackish marshes. Winters coastal marshes such as this refuge along the central east coast in Florida. They are common and widespread worldwide. This pair was photographed in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

Notes:

Dabbling duck, so called because they feed by swinging their bill from side to side and strain food from water. The bill has a comb-like structure that act like sieves to skim for crustaceans and plankton along the water's surface. Because of the spoon shaped bill, some duck hunters refer to them as "spoonies".