"The Distinctive Dabbling Duck" The Northern Shoveler
The Northern Shoveler is the Jimmy Durante of the duck world with it over-sized bill. The large spoon-shaped bill is a field mark of this duck and helps you identify both sexes. The bill gives it the nick-name of "Spooney". (birdinginformation.com) It is a common and widespread duck and breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, wintering in southern Europe, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and and Central and northern South America. It is a rare vagrant to Australia. Northern Shovelers feed by dabbling for plant food, often by swinging its bill from side to side and using the bill to strain food from the water. They use their bills to skim crustaceans and plankton from the water's surface. Mud-bottomed marshes rich in invertebrate life are their habitat of choice. The males engage in elaborate courtship behaviors, both on the water and in the air. Despite their stout appearance, shovelers are nimble fliers. They are also a quiet species. The male has a clunking call, and the female, a Mallard-like quack. (wikipedia.org) I saw this beauty on a cold and overcast wintery day at Central Park, New York City, New York while visiting the city. One of my daughters was interviewing there and another works there already in the city.
"The Distinctive Dabbling Duck" The Northern Shoveler
The Northern Shoveler is the Jimmy Durante of the duck world with it over-sized bill. The large spoon-shaped bill is a field mark of this duck and helps you identify both sexes. The bill gives it the nick-name of "Spooney". (birdinginformation.com) It is a common and widespread duck and breeds in northern areas of Europe and Asia and across most of North America, wintering in southern Europe, Africa, the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and and Central and northern South America. It is a rare vagrant to Australia. Northern Shovelers feed by dabbling for plant food, often by swinging its bill from side to side and using the bill to strain food from the water. They use their bills to skim crustaceans and plankton from the water's surface. Mud-bottomed marshes rich in invertebrate life are their habitat of choice. The males engage in elaborate courtship behaviors, both on the water and in the air. Despite their stout appearance, shovelers are nimble fliers. They are also a quiet species. The male has a clunking call, and the female, a Mallard-like quack. (wikipedia.org) I saw this beauty on a cold and overcast wintery day at Central Park, New York City, New York while visiting the city. One of my daughters was interviewing there and another works there already in the city.