Round and Round and Round
By Debbie Wiggins, Golden Eagle Guest Blogger
The Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata) is sometimes referred to as the “other” green head. They are commonly confused with the larger green-headed male Mallard. If you are bent on coloration as your primary means of identification, there will be some confusion in telling the two species apart. Look past the colors, and you’ll soon see that the two species are very distinct. Mallards and Northern Shovelers can be easily observed at Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve now. With a close look, there should be little doubt that the Northern Shoveler is not a Mallard, and vice versa.
Male Northern Shoveler by Louisa Evers
What’s the Duck Doing?
Behavior is your first clue. Northern Shovelers and Mallards are both dabbling ducks, so they will be feeding in shallower, quiet water. You’ll recognize Mallards as the ‘typical’ dabbler with rear end tipped up, orange legs and feet exposed, easily paddling in place. Then there are those other dabbling ducks, feeding in groups of 2 or 10, 20, even up to 50 (or more). Almost like synchronized swimmers they move in a tight circle, usually counterclockwise. The neck of each bird extends forward and the head rides low in the water, slowly moving side-to-side. These are Northern Shovelers. That’s when you discover that bird behavior can be a major factor in bird identification.
Northern Shovelers by Ken Miracle
What’s the Color Pattern?
Female Northern Shoveler by Louisa Evers
Now take a closer look at the ducks’ color and pattern. Female Northern Shovelers and Mallards are quite similar in their beige/brown feather mottling, orangish bill, legs and feet. Adult male Northern Shovelers don’t really look like male Mallards. They have a darker green head (with some iridescence), yellow eyes, orange legs and feet. They have chestnut-colored flanks, contrasted against a bright white chest and a black back. Both males and females have a powder blue wing patch and a green speculum, separated by a white stripe.
Keep looking until the circle-swimming Northern Shovelers raise their heads. Now you’ll see the most blatantly obvious feature of both the male and female Northern Shoveler—the big honking bill. At 2 inches long it is often described as large, wide, and spoon-shaped. To me, shovel says it best. The genus name Spatula is a pleasantly accurate descriptor, even if you’re not a cook. Inside, the bill is lined with specialized comb-like projections called lamellae. With the side-to-side feeding motion of the head, lamellae allow water to filter through the bill, trapping aquatic invertebrates and aquatic vegetation and seeds which are the staples of the Northern Shoveler diet.
Male Northern Shoveler by Louisa Evers
Northern Shovelers are present year-round in Idaho. Many of the birds we see now are just overwintering here, but some populations of Spatula clypeata breed in Idaho. At Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve, there now seems to be a quiet co-existence amongst the groups of Northern Shovelers, Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, Coots and others. This dynamic changes during mating season as male Northern Shovelers are reported to be the most aggressively territorial of the dabbling ducks. Pairs are formed during the winter. Unique to Northern Shovelers, the relationship is and remains monogamous through the breeding season.
Make a visit to Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve, Kathryn Albertson Park, Wilson Springs Ponds or other open water and enjoy watching the “other” green head go round and round and round.