The broad, flattened, shovel-shaped bill of the Shoveler is extremely well adapted for filter feeding. To collect items of plankton and small invertebrates in its bill, the Shoveler swings its bill back and forth across the surface of the water.
The Northern Shoveler is a common species and occurs throughout most of the Holarctic region.
Most male ducks moult into an eclipse plumage after breeding. This usually takes the form of a more cryptic, female-like colouration to aid camouflage for the brief period when the ducks simultaneously moult all their flight feathers and temporarily lose their ability to fly.
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