Shoveler is the name of four species of small ducks with spoon-shaped bills and distinctive blue patches on their wings. Shovelers breed in temperate parts of the world. They measure about 19 inches (48 centimeters) long. With its spoonbill, a shoveler gathers and filters tiny invertebrates (animals without backbones) from shallow waters. The duck feeds as it swims with its bill just below the water surface. The edges of the bill act as a strainer to trap food. Breeding male northern shovelers have dark green heads and white breasts. Females are brown. Northern shovelers breed in North America, Europe, and Asia. They winter in northern Africa and Central America.
Northern shoveler
