Northern shoveler Anas clypeata

Identification Tips:

• Large dabbling duck
• Large spatulate bill
• Juvenile similar to adult female

Adult male alternate:

• Alternate plumage worn from fall through early summer
• Black bill
• Eyes yellow
• Green head
• White lower neck, breast, and tail
• Rusty underbody with white band on hind flanks
• Dark back, with elongated white scapulars
• Pale blue upper secondary coverts
• Green speculum with white leading and trailing edges

Adult male basic

• Similar to adult female

Adult female:

• Eyes brown
• Orange bill with dusky patches
• Mottled brown and buff head, neck and back
• Dusky blue upper secondary coverts
• Dull green speculum with white fore border

Similar species:

Large, spatulate bill makes the Northern Shoveler immediately recognizable in all plumages.