Shoveler

shoveler

Any of four species (genus Anas, family Anatidae) of dabbling ducks having a long, spoon-shaped bill. The migratory northern shoveler (A. clypeata) inhabits shallow marshes and lagoons in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The male has a green head, white breast, chestnut belly and sides, and a blue patch on the forewing. It uses its bill to sift small organisms and seeds from the mud; in deeper waters, it skims the surface for plankton. The other species are the South American red shoveler (A. platalea); the Cape, or Smith's, shoveler (A. smithii) of South Africa; and the Australasian, or blue-winged, shoveler (A. rhynchotis).

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Shoveler 

(Anas clypeata), a bird of the family Anatidae. The body length is about 50 cm. Males weigh about 700 g; the females weigh less. The tip of the bill is very broad (hence the name). The shoveler, which is a migratory bird, is distributed in the temperate climates of Europe and Asia and in western North America. In the USSR is it more common in the forest-steppe and steppe zones and can be found in Transcaucasia and Middle Asia in the winter. During the summer, shovelers gather for molting in the delta of the Volga River and on the lakes of the Transurals Region and Kazakhstan. They prefer shallow tranquil bodies of water and quiet stretches of river. Nests are built on dry land. The clutch contains seven to ten eggs, which are incubated from 22 to 23 days. The diet consists of mollusks, crayfish, and insects. The shoveler is a game bird.