Bird of the Week – Northern Shoveler

The Northern Shoveler’s bill gets all the attention, distracting you from noticing that the drake and the hen are both very handsome ducks.

Northern Shoveler Drake, Peat Ponds, Fairbanks

Shovelers are dabblers, birds that feed in the top of the water column without diving entirely underwater. The Shoveler’s bill is well-adapted to that role.

The Shoveler hen is much less flamboyant, with cryptic coloration that makes her hard for predators to find when she is on eggs. Some ornithologists speculate that the male hangs around as a distraction for predators until the eggs are hatched.

Northern Shoveler Pair, Smith Lake, Fairbanks

But that is quite a bill, isn’t it?

For more bird photos, please visit Frozen Feather Images.

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