46 Birds of Colorado 
Shoveller. Spatula clypeata. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 142—Colorado Records—Aiken 72, p. 210; 
Henshaw 75, p. 478; Coues 77, p. 51; Allen & Brewster 83, p. 198; 
Morrison 89, p. 148; Cooke 97, pp. 18, 54,194; 06, p. 36 ; Henderson 
03, p. 234; 09, p. 225; Warren 06, p. 19; 09, p. 13; Rockwell 08, p. 158. 
Description.—Male—Head and neck black, slightly glossed with 
green on the sides of the face and bearing a slight nape crest ; lower- 
neck, breast, some of the scapulars and the outer tail-feathers white ; 
lower breast and abdomen rufous; under tail-coverts black; wing 
with the lesser coverts light blue and the speculum green with a white 
bar above; the scapulars white, light blue and black; iris orange, 
bill black, legs orange. Length 20; wing 10; tail 35; culmen 2-7; 
tarsus 1-7. 
The female is spotted and streaked with dusky, but has the wing 
as ip the male though duller. Young birds are like the female. 
The shape of the bill will always distinguish this species in any 
plumage. 
Distribution.The northern hemisphere, south to north Africa, 
southern Asia and Australia. In America breeding from Alaska and 
Hudson Bay south to California and Texas, but not in eastern Canada 
or the eastern United States ; south in winter from the Carolinas and 
the Gulf states to Columbia and through the West Indies. 
In Colorado the Shoveller is mainly a migrant though a certain 
number stay to breed, chiefly in the mountains. Cooke states it is 
@ common resident especially on the western slope, but I have found 
only a few notices of its breeding—near the south divide of the North 
Park (Coues), and at San Luis Lakes where Aiken and Henshaw both 
observed it. At Barr it nests, but less commonly than some of the 
other Ducks (Rockwell & Hersey). It reaches Loveland from the 
south March 10th to 20th, and has also been observed on migration 
in Baca co. (Warren), El Paso co. (Aiken), at Breckenridge (Carter), 
in Boulder co. (Henderson), and at Orchard (Warren). On the 
western slope it is rare at Coventry in April (Warren), and not often 
seen in the Plateau Valley of Mesa co. on migration (Rockwell). 
Habits.—The favourite resort of the Shoveller is a 
weedy, shallow pool or marsh where it dabbles on the 
muddy bottom, with its broad bill and head immersed, 
in search of weeds, insects, snails and crustacea, which 
form its food. It is generally in pairs or quite small 
parties ; it is strong on the wing but has a feeble voice. 
Its nest is placed on the ground near water or some- 
