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NORTHERN SHOVELER FACTS |
Description
The male Northern Shoveler has black back, white chest and black bill. The sides and belly are chestnut-brown. The head is dark glossy with yellow eyes. The non-breeding plumage is more subdued - head and breast are mottled dark brown and sides are light brown. The female is gray brown and the body feathers have light edges giving a scalloped appearance. The bill is olive-green with yellow base and edge. Juveniles are similar to females.
Size
45cm - 50cm
Habitat
wetlands, freshwater marshes, saltwater marshes
Food
aquatic insects, crustaceans and other invertebrates, seeds.
Breeding
It nests among vegetation near water. The nest is a shallow depression on the ground lined with down. Lays around 8 - 12 greenish gray or olive eggs.
Range
The Northern Shoveler breeds in North America and northern parts of Europe and Asia. In winter it migrates to southern Europe, Africa, India, South-east Asia, Central America and northern parts of South America. It is a rare visitor to Australia.
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Anseriformes | | Family: | Anatidae | | Genus: | Anas | | Species: | clypeata | | Common Name: | Northern Shoveler |
Relatives in same Genus
Northern Pintail (A. acuta)
Chestnut Teal (A. castanea)
Grey Teal (A. gracilis)
Mallard (A. platyrhynchos)
Garganey (A. querquedula)
Australasian Shoveler (A. rhynchotis)
Pacific Black Duck (A. superciliosa)
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