Field Guide
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Shoveler
Spatula clypeata
Not yet photographed by the community
Distinctive spatula bill; drake has green head and orange flanks.
Species Profile
Amber List (wintering birds); declining breeding population in UK
- Lifespan
- 8–12 years in the wild
- Size & Weight
- 47–56 cm, wingspan 73–83 cm; 400–650 g
- Habitat
- Shallow freshwater lakes, pools, marshes, and wetlands with emergent vegetation and muddy margins.
- UK Distribution
- Winter visitor and passage migrant throughout the UK, with small breeding populations in England and Scotland during spring and summer; numbers peak during autumn and winter migration.
- Diet
- Small aquatic invertebrates, plant seeds, and aquatic plants; feeds by dabbling and shovelling through mud and shallow water.
- Prey
- Aquatic insect larvae, small crustaceans, molluscs, and zooplankton
- Predators
- Foxes, mink, pike (for ducklings); aerial predation from sea eagles and other raptors
- Mating Season
- February to June
- Breeding
- Clutch of 8–12 eggs, incubation period 23–25 days, typically one brood per season; nest is a scrape lined with down on dry ground near water.
- Behaviour
- Highly social duck, often found in pairs or small flocks. Males are notably vocal during courtship. The enlarged, spatulate bill is an adaptation for filter-feeding, giving the species its distinctive appearance and feeding behaviour.
- •The Shoveler's oversized bill contains lamellae (comb-like structures) that filter small organisms from water, similar to baleen in whales.
- •The species name 'clypeata' comes from the Latin word for shield, referring to the shape of the male's head.
- •Males perform elaborate courtship displays including head-bobbing and burping sounds to attract females.
- •Northern European populations migrate to the UK and Mediterranean in winter, making them crucial indicators of wetland health across continents.
- •Shovelers can turn their heads nearly 180 degrees and often feed with their bills submerged, moving slowly through shallow water like living sieves.
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