RIVER DUCKS 
93 
142. Shoveller, spoonbill, le canard souchet. Spatula clypeala. L, 20. Plate 
VIII R. A good-sized duck with a widened, spoon-shaped or shovel-shaped bill (Figure 138). 
Distinctions. The Shoveller bill, remarkably spatulate 
at end with fringe of long, comb-like laminae on sides of 
upper mandible, is characteristic in any plumage. The 
contrasting coloration of the adult male is striking. The 
female is much like the female Mallard, but smaller, without 
any speculum or marked wing pattern, but always with at 
least a suggestion of pale blue on the forepart of the wings. 
Field Marks. The striking coloration of the adult male 
is distinctive. The female is rather like the female Mallard, 
but without the strongly marked steely blue speculum. In 
any plumage and at considerable distance the slightly 
bulbous appearance of the bill is distinctly recognizable. 
Nesting. On the ground, in the grass, but not always 
in the immediate vicinity of water. 
Distribution. Common to both Old and New Worlds. 
Occurs in America across the continent, north to mouth of 
Mackenzie River. Breeds throughout western Canada. Rare in the east. 
“The Shoveller or Spoonbill is a lover of the mud, and consequently 
the shallow, muddy prairie sloughs are its favourite habitat. Like the 
Pintail it is a bird of the prairies. In flight, when the bulbous bill can- 
not be noted it much resembles the Mallard, and many sportsmen have 
presumably shot a Mallard and picked up a Spoonbill. There is some 
prejudice among western sportsmen against the bird, owing to its small 
size and to the slight inferiority of the flesh when compared with that of 
several other species. This duck is a late arrival in spring and migrates 
in September, and perhaps is seldom taken at its best in the north. The 
Shoveller, like the Pintail, sometimes joins the Mallards in their flights to 
the fields, but never alights with them to feed on dry land." 
144. Wood Duck, summer duck, le canard BRANCHU. Aix sponsa. L, 18-50. 
Plate IX A. 
Distinctions. A very characteristic bird in any plumage. Even in the dull eclipse 
plumage the male shows a shadowy suggestion of the peculiar face markings. Owing 
to the demand for this bird as a semi-domesticated duck on ornamental waters, dealers 
sometimes substitute the more easily procured female Mandarin Duck for that of this 
species. The males, though quite as gorgeous as the Mandarin, are perfectly distinctive, 
but the females are so similar that the substitution may not be immediately discovered. 
However, the Mandarin female lacks the long, fleshy bill process running up the sides of 
the forehead, and the feather line is consequently straighter than in the Wood Duck. 
Field Marks. The down-hanging crest and the white throat of the male are often 
visible when all the rest of the bright coloration is lost in the distance or confused by the 
glare of the sun. The w'hite eye-ring of the female is likewise quite conspicuous. When 
on wing the white underbody is sometimes quite distinctive, as this species seems to show 
more white than any other white-bellied duck. 
Nesting. In hollow trees or stumps in the vicinity of quiet water. 
Distributioji. Across the continent, north barely into Canada. A woodland bird 
and hence rare or absent throughout the prairies, occasional in southeastern Manitoba, 
more common in the east and in southern British Columbia, 
This is the brightest coloured and most beautiful duck in America 
and perhaps in the world. The only species that can approach it is the 
Mandarin Duck of China which is often seen in confinement with it. The 
Wood Duck was originally the “Summer Duck" of our southeastern 
borders and almost every woodland stream and backwater pond had at 
least one pair; but, since the clearing of the land, the farmer’s-boy-shot-gun 
combination has been too much for it. Its bright colours, the relative 
7691G-7 
Figure 138 
Bill of Shoveller; 
scale, f. 
