Northern Shoveler - Anatidae Anas clypeata
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Male
Northern Shoveler

Female
Female Northern Shoveler

Male
Male Northern Shoveler
Male

Pair
Northern Shoveler, male and female


Photo Details
1.  Male -  January 11, 2004 - Salem Pond, Utah County, Utah
2. Female-January 5, 2006 - Mountain Springs, Utah County, Utah
3.  Male - December 23, 2003 - Mountain Springs, Utah County, Utah
4.  Male -  May 4, 2003 - Bear River MBR, Box Elder County, Utah
5.  Pair - December 5, 2004 - Mountain Springs, Utah County, Utah
©Nicky Davis

Description
L 19 WS 30, Long bill that widens at the tip. Male in breeding plumage has dark green head, white breat, reddish-brown flanks. Female is brown streaked with spatula shaped bill which is gray on top and orange along the opening.

Behavior
They spend summers on open shallow lakes and marshes and winters on protected coastal areas, usually in small flocks or pairs.  They are agressive during displays and defense of territory. They eat at the water surface by straining out small aquatic insects and other invertebrates with the comblike edge of their bills.  They also eat duckweed and aquatic plants that grow beneath the water. They lay 6-14 pale greenish eggs in a nest of grass lined with down and placed in a concealed depression in the  ground which may be as far as 100 yards from water. They have one brood which they incubate for 21-28 days. Chicks are precocial.

Utah Seasonal Distribution Map
click for range Map color key

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