Perhaps the most visible diagnostic characteristic of the northern shoveler is its large spoon-shaped bill, which widens towards the tip and creates a shape unique among North American waterfowl. Male northern shovelers have an iridescent green head and neck, white chest and breast and chestnut belly and sides. They have a white stripe extending 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 northern shovelers have a light brownish head with a blackish crown and a brownish speckled body. The upper wing coverts are grayish-blue, the greater secondary coverts are tipped with white and the secondaries are brown with a slight greenish sheen. The bill is olive green with fleshy orange in the gape area and speckled with black dots.
Please Join Us in Thanking Our Generous Sponsors by Patronizing Their Businesses Whenever Possible. It is because of their support that we are able to provide everything we do & make our mission successful.
Please Join Us in Thanking Our Generous Sponsors by Patronizing Their Businesses Whenever Possible. It is because of their support that we are able to provide everything we do & make our mission successful.
