Northern shoveler

Northern shoveler photographed in Manitoba

There is no mistaking the shoveler. The huge, spoon-shaped bill gives the duck a top-heavy profile, and the drake wears a green head, a white chest, and rusty sides. It often swims slowly with the bill held low, skimming the water’s surface.

The wide bill is lined with comb-like plates that strain tiny crustaceans and seeds from the water. Shovelers sometimes feed in groups, swimming in tight circles to stir up food from the bottom. They nest on the ground in grassy areas near shallow prairie wetlands, and most pass through Manitoba in spring and fall on their way between the north and the southern United States.

To learn more about this bird and its habitat, visit the northern shoveler page at All About Birds.

Here are some of my favourite frames of this bird.

Field notes in photographs

  • Northern shoveler pair standing together at the edge of a marsh
  • Male northern shoveler swimming, green head and large spoon-shaped bill
  • Male northern shoveler splashing and flapping wings on the water
  • Male northern shoveler beside a female among marsh reeds
  • Female northern shoveler swimming on blue-grey water
  • Male northern shoveler swimming, green head, white chest and chestnut flanks
  • Northern shovelers in flight over a marsh with golden grass
  • Male northern shoveler swimming, green head and large spoon-shaped bill

Northern shoveler Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the northern shoveler in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the northern shoveler nests, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the northern shoveler in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Hudson Plains, the Boreal Plains, and the Prairies (gold). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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