What do dabbling ducks and Blue Whales have in common?
You can't usually see the filtering elements on a duck's bill but you can on this wild Shoveler (Anas clypeata), a male just moulting out of eclipse plumage. Shovelers have an enormous bill, expanded at the tip into a spoon shape. They filter feed in a similar manner to Blue Whales by taking a gulp of water then using their tongue like a syphon to push the water out of the sides. All along the bill edge (top and bottom) are comb-like structures called lamellae that filter out the edible bits from the gulp of water (just like Blue Whales). Most dabbling ducks have between 50 and 70 lamellae on their upper and lower mandibles whereas Shovelers have around 180 on their upper and 220 on their lower mandible, so about four times more than other dabbling ducks (eg Mallard, Pintail, Teal). These lamellae are also noticeably longer in Shovelers. Despite this, the lamellae are not normally visible but unusually they can be clearly seen here (but you may need to view large). It looks to me like there would be more than 180 on the upper mandible but I'll go with what the books tell me. They eat both animal and vegetable matter, but probably eat more water plants than animal matter. The animals they eat includes small water-snails, shrimps, water boatmen, water beetles and even tadpoles occasionally.
The name "Shovelere" was first noted in c1460 but was applied to the Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) which was becoming increasingly rare in Britain. In 1674 John Ray applied the name to this duck and the name has stuck ever since.
What do dabbling ducks and Blue Whales have in common?
You can't usually see the filtering elements on a duck's bill but you can on this wild Shoveler (Anas clypeata), a male just moulting out of eclipse plumage. Shovelers have an enormous bill, expanded at the tip into a spoon shape. They filter feed in a similar manner to Blue Whales by taking a gulp of water then using their tongue like a syphon to push the water out of the sides. All along the bill edge (top and bottom) are comb-like structures called lamellae that filter out the edible bits from the gulp of water (just like Blue Whales). Most dabbling ducks have between 50 and 70 lamellae on their upper and lower mandibles whereas Shovelers have around 180 on their upper and 220 on their lower mandible, so about four times more than other dabbling ducks (eg Mallard, Pintail, Teal). These lamellae are also noticeably longer in Shovelers. Despite this, the lamellae are not normally visible but unusually they can be clearly seen here (but you may need to view large). It looks to me like there would be more than 180 on the upper mandible but I'll go with what the books tell me. They eat both animal and vegetable matter, but probably eat more water plants than animal matter. The animals they eat includes small water-snails, shrimps, water boatmen, water beetles and even tadpoles occasionally.
The name "Shovelere" was first noted in c1460 but was applied to the Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia) which was becoming increasingly rare in Britain. In 1674 John Ray applied the name to this duck and the name has stuck ever since.