North American Shoveler

The most visible characteristic of the Northern Shoveler is its large spoon-shaped bill, which is wider towards the tip and creates a shape unique among waterfowl. Male Shovelers have an iridescent green head and neck, white chest and breast and reddish brown belly and sides. They have a white stripe from the breast along the margin of the gray-brown back, and white flank spots. The wings have a gray-blue shoulder patch, which is separated from a brilliant green speculum by a tapered white stripe. The bill is black in breeding plumage and the legs and feet are orange. Female shovelers have a light brown head with a blackish crown and a brown speckled body. The upper wing coverts are grayish-blue, the greater secondary coverts are laced with white and the other feathers are brown with a slight greenish sheen. The bill is olive green with orange in the area near their head and speckled with black dots. 

Northern Shovelers feed by dabbling and sifting in shallow water. They like the seeds of aquatic weeds, as well as aquatic insects, mollusks and crustaceans, are eaten by filtering water which is taken in at the bill tip and jetted out at the base.  

They are presently available as males only. To request a wing trim, please call 1-800-456-3280.