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This Holarctic species is easily recognizable by its enormous spatulated bill, pale blue forewing and dark green head. Generally gregarious, this dabbling duck mainly haunts lakes, marshes, shallow ponds, grassland, and steppe regions.
Its breeding season extends from mid-April (Europe) until mid-July (North America).
Females lay 5-13 eggs that she breeds during 23-27 days.
Omnivorous, it particularly feeds on planktonic crustaceans, molluscs, insects, plants debris, and plankton.
Shoveler shows ‘extreme specialization of Anas ducks Genus filtering mechanism with its proportionately long bill with wide distal end which increases amount of water which can be sucked in’ (Snow & Perrins, BWP, 1998).
The picture I took with my high speed DSLR camera, and on which my artwork is based, revealed the presence of a fisher’s hook in the beak of this beautiful drake; inconvenience that more and more occurs in waterbirds
