Northern Shoveler

Perhaps the most outwardly distinctive of the dabbling ducks, the Northern Shoveler inhabits wetlands across much of North America. Its elongated, spoon-shaped bill has comblike projections along its edges, which filter out food from the water.

The bill of the Northern Shoveler is about 6.5 cm (2.5 inches) long. The bill has has about 110 fine projections (called lamellae) along the edges, for straining food from water. Northern Shoveler pairs are monogamous, and remain together longer than pairs of other dabbling duck species. When flushed off the nest, a female Northern Shoveler often defecates on its eggs, apparently to deter predators.