SHOVELLER 



217 



AUTUMN AND JUVENILE PLUMAGE: See "Descriptions." 



FEMALE. General effect: A small duck, mottled with brown and buff, with 

 pale buffy breast and a large bill. Chief features (a) hind toe without lobe, (b) bill, 

 same as that of male, (c) blue wing-coverts. 



The bill readily identifies the female Shoveller. 



FIELD MARKS 



ON THE WATER. The Shoveller has many distinctive field marks. The male 



sits low on the water with bill pointing 

 in a downward slope; shows more white 

 than any other Pond duck and presents a 

 characteristic appearance, with its large, 

 spoon-shaped bill, sloping forehead, dark 

 head and neck, and chestnut sides. The female is plain brownish buffy, but has 

 the same flat rakish head and large bill as the male; even at some distance, this 

 will distinguish it from other mottled-brown ducks. 



IN FLIGHT. They fly in small flocks and, when startled, the flight somewhat 

 resembles that of the teals, being erratic with frequent downward plunges; ordi- 

 narily the flight is rather slow, steady and direct. They rise from the water with 

 a clean upward bound and when rising or settling 

 there is a loud rattling of the wings; they alight 

 almost vertically with hardly a splash. Flocks are 

 easily recognized in flight by the distinctive markings 

 of the males, which show from below as alternating 

 black and white, viz, dark head, white chest, dark 

 breast, white belt, dark under tail-coverts. Both texes 

 show broad chalky-blue wing-patches similar to those 

 of the Blue-winged Teals. The thick head, short neck 

 and huge bill of both sexes are easily noted in 

 flight. The head and neck are carried in a downward 

 slope and the wings appear to be set far back on the 

 body. When on the wing, Shovellers of both sexes 

 are sometimes mistaken for Mallards. 



VOICE. Usually a silent bird; it has a small 

 throat and a correspondingly weak voice. The male 

 utters a low, guttural woh-woh-woh and a took-took- 

 took. Courtship call of male, a low gutteral konk, 

 konk, and a low, rattling chu-uck, chu-uck; female, feeble quack. 



LIFE STORY 



Our little Shoveller, or Spoonbill as it is more popularly called, is a 

 well-known and widely distributed duck, being common throughout 

 North America, Europe and Asia, and being known as a visitor to South 

 America, Africa, and even Australia. There are three other species of 

 Shovellers with similar huge bills; one is found in South America, an- 

 other in South Africa, and of the third species, there is one variety in 

 Australia and another in New Zealand. The genus Spatula, therefore, 

 inhabits every quarter of the globe. On this continent the Shoveller has 



