Northern Shovelers — Dabbling Ducks with Big Bills

BirdNote®
Northern Shovelers — Dabbling Ducks with Big Bills
Written by Ariana Remmel

This is BirdNote.

[Ambi or Northern Shovelers on the water, ML553843981; played throughout episode]

If you've ever seen the gargantuan bill of a Northern Shoveler, you know exactly how this dabbling duck got its name.

[Northern Shoveler call ML296948]

Both males and females bear the unmistakable trowel-shaped bill, but they differ in plumage. Females and non-breeding males are a mottled beige color. But during the breeding season, male shovelers sport a bright white breast, reddish-brown flanks, and an emerald green head that can rival any mallard's.

[Male Northern Shoveler on the water ML421812891]

Breeding pairs mate for life. In North America, they raise their young from Alaska to northern portions of the lower 48 before flying to their wintering grounds as far south as Hawai‘i, Central America, and the Caribbean. When they take off, you may get a glimpse of the male's sky-blue "shoulder pads" that are only visible in flight.

[Northern Shoveler taking flight, ML33722941]

Northern Shovelers are social birds that often forage together in large flocks. Look for them in shallow ponds where they swim in synchronized circles, stirring up tasty invertebrates and crustaceans from the muck with their iconic spatula-of-a-beak.

[Northern Shoveler call ML300919761]

For BirdNote, I'm Ariana Remmel.

[Calls of Northern Shovelers, ML553843981]

This episode is dedicated to Bob Goodale whose lifelong love for birds and nature continues to inspire.

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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Editor: Jazzi Johnson
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Northern Shoveler ML300919761 recorded by Peter Boseman. Northern Shoveler ML296948 recorded by Peter Boesman. Northern Shoveler ML553843981 recorded by Nathan Pieplow. Northern Shoveler ML33722941 recorded by Martha Fischer. Northern Shoveler ML421812891 recorded by Jay McGowan.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2025 BirdNote February  2025
Narrator: Ariana Remmel

ID# NSHO-02-2025-02-10     NSHO-02

Reference:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/northern_shoveler

More about these birds:
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
https://www.birdnote.org/bird/northern-shoveler-anas-clypeata