Northern Shoveler - Spatula clypeata

This is a bird of open wetlands, such as wet grassland or marshes with some emergent vegetation. It breeds in wide areas across Eurasia, western North America and the Great Lakes region of the United States.

This bird winters in southern Europe, Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, northern South America, Malay Archipelago, Japan and other areas. Those wintering in the Indian Subcontinent make the taxing journey over the Himalayas, often taking a break in wetlands just south of the Himalaya before continuing further south to warmer regions. In North America it winters south of a line from Washington to Idaho and from New Mexico east to Kentucky, also along the Eastern Seaboard as far north as Massachusetts. In the British Isles, home to more than 20% of the North Western European population, it is best known as a winter visitor, although it is more frequently seen in southern and eastern England, especially around the Ouse Washes, the Humber and the North Kent Marshes, and in much smaller numbers in Scotland and western parts of England. In winter, breeding birds move south, and are replaced by an influx of continental birds from further north. It breeds across most of Ireland, but the population there is very difficult to assess.

It is strongly migratory and winters further south than its breeding range. It has occasionally been reported as a vagrant as far south as Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is not as gregarious as some dabbling ducks outside the breeding season and tends to form only small flocks. Among North America's duck species, northern shovelers trail only mallards and blue-winged teal in overall abundance. Their populations have been healthy since the 1960s, and have soared in recent years to more than 5 million birds (2015), most likely because of favorable breeding, migration, and wintering habitat conditions.

Tags:   Shoveler Northern-Shoveler Birds. Avian Animal Animals Wildlife. Wildbirds Wetlands Water-Birds Waterways Wildlife Photography Jeff Lack Photography Wildfowl Ducks Winter Migrant Lakes Ponds Reservoirs Reeds Marshland Marshes Countryside Coastal Birds Nature

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Northern Shoveler - Anas Clypeata

Tags:   Northern-Shoveler Shoveler Birds. Avian Animal Animals Ducks Wildlife. Wildbirds Wetlands Water-Birds Waterways Wildfowl Wildlife Photography Jeff Lack Photography Lakes Ponds Reservoirs River Birds Rivers Estuaries Estuary Marshes Marshland Mudflats Scrapes Reserves Countryside Nature NGC NPC

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Northern Shoveler - Anas Cypeata


Norfolk

Tags:   Northern-Shoveler Shoveler Ducks Wildfowl Waterfowl Wildlife. Wildbirds Wetlands Water-Birds Waterways Wildlife Photography Jeff Lack Photography Birds. Avian Animal Animals Lakes Ponds Estuaries Estuary Scrapes Marshland Marshes Norfolk Nature Countryside NGC NPC coth5

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Northern Shoveler - Anas Cypeata


Norfolk

Tags:   Shoveler Northern-Shoveler Birds. Avian Animal Animals Ducks Wildlife. Wildbirds Wetlands Water-Birds Waterways Waterfowl Scrapes Reservoirs Lakes Marshland Marshes Estuaries Estuary Countryside Nature NGC NPC coth5

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Northern Shoveler (m) - Anas Clypeata

Tags:   Shoveler Northern-Shoveler Avian Animal Animals Wildlife. Water-Birds Wetlands Wildfowl Ducks Waterways Lakes Ponds Reservoirs Estuaries Estuary Countryside Norfolk Nature coth5 NGC NPC Birds. Wildbirds

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