shoveler
Anas clypeata
Compare with:
mallard
Key facts
Medium-sized duck with large spatulate bill, often seen dabbling
Habitat: freshwater marshes, estuaries, reservoirs and lakes
Resident species although breeding numbers quite low; widespread in winter
Recognition
Male: black and white but for bottle green head and chestnut flanks; female mottled brown with grey/orange bill
Feeds by sweeping large bill through water and wet mud
Eats plants, aquatic vegetation, molluscs and crustaceans; shows pale blue forewing in strong flight
Lifecycle
Nest is a lined hollow near water
1 Brood April May; 8-12 eggs buffy
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