Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) Mike Sefton
Manitoba, Canada. 6/15/2005 © John Van Orman
(Click to view a comparison of Atlas I to II)
If Northern Pintail or Wood Duck are the most northwest Iowa. There are isolated breeding areas in the Southwest, Upper Midwest, and beautiful ducks in the U.S., then perhaps southeast Ontario, and adjacent to the St. Northern Shoveler, with its shovel-like bill, Lawrence River in Ontario and Quebec could be called the oddest looking duck. (Johnsgard 1975). The winter range in the New Another interesting feature of this bird is that World includes the western part of British the males remain paired with females longer Columbia through California, Florida, the than any other species, and they are the most southern coastal areas of the Carolinas, the territorial of ducks (Austin and Miller 1995). southern portion of the southern tier of states, all Though the male and female have many of Mexico except for the Yucatan, the coastal plumage characteristics similar to the Mallard, areas of Central America, and northern the shoveler’s distinctive spatulate bill sets it Columbia (Madge and Burn1988). apart from other North American ducks. The male is especially beautiful, with his green head Distribution and neck, dark bill, white breast, green Historically, Northern Shoveler has been a very speculum, blue area on the interior of the rare breeder in Michigan. Barrows (1912) knew forewing, and rufous flanks and belly. of no definite breeding records, Wood (1951)
cited breeding records in the 1930s from The breeding range of the Northern Shoveler Tuscola, Bay, and Schoolcraft Counties. Payne includes northern areas of Europe and Asia, and (1983) notes records from Muskegon and Delta much of North America. Its breeding range in Counties in addition to those cited by Wood, North America is primarily in the western U.S. and Brewer et al. (1991) notes additional and Canada, from southern Alaska, the Yukon, records from around Lake St. Clair and western Northwest Territories, British Columbia Roscommon County. away from the coast, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. In the Lower 48 states, the During the MBBA I period 17 townships breeding range includes eastern Washington, reported breeding, with only three confirmed eastern Oregon, northeast and central California, breeding records which were in Tuscola, Idaho through western Minnesota, northern Monroe, and Gogebic Counties. Probable Nevada, northern Utah, Wyoming, northern breeding was reported for Muskegon, Saginaw, Colorado and Nebraska, South Dakota, and Chippewa, Houghton, and Ontonagon Counties,
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) Mike Sefton with possible breeding taking place in increase in the long term average for shovelers Kalamazoo, Macomb, St. Clair, and Baraga in the breeding population estimates by the U.S. Counties. MBBA II had 22 townships reporting Fish and Wildlife Service in traditional breeding breeding. Confirmed breeding was reported in areas outside of Michigan (USFWS 2009). eight townships in seven counties, with probable breeding in seven townships compared to eight The Indiana breeding bird atlas had two in MBBA I. There were six townships with instances of confirmed breeding (Castrale et al. possible breeding in the first atlas versus seven 1998), Illinois had one confirmed breeder in the second (Reeves 1991). Many of the (Kleen et al. 2004), the Wisconsin atlas shows records for MBBA II were from sewage ponds confirmed breeding in 13 blocks (Cutright et al. or lagoons. 2006), Ohio had no confirmed breeding and only three blocks as probable (Peterjohn and Breeding Biology Rice 1991), and Ontario had a slight increase in Northern Shovelers form pair bonds on the breeding, though it is still only locally rare to wintering grounds, and begin to arrive in uncommon. The shoveler’s primary breeding Michigan in late March, with most arriving in range and greatest abundance is in the prairie April and May. Shovelers usually raise one pothole region to the north and west of brood per season, though renesting will occur if Michigan, and it is only a rare breeder in the first nest is destroyed. Egg dates range from Michigan and surrounding states. mid-May to early June, with a 21 to 26 day incubation period. The ducklings are Conservation Needs independent at six to seven weeks, and As Michigan is not in the Northern Shoveler’s unfledged juveniles are found from 12 June main breeding range, it is unlikely to have a through 18 July (MI-DNR 2005a). marked increase in breeding attempts in the future. However, as is the case with many Abundance and Population Trends puddle ducks, the shoveler may benefit from the In the Southern Lower Peninsula, shovelers are Michigan DNRE’s Wildlife Action Plan for rare in March, uncommon in April and May, wetlands, and encouraging retention and and rare in June and July. Migrants swell the restoration of wetlands and grasslands on public numbers to uncommon for August and early and private lands (MI-DNR 2005b). September, and to fairly common for late August and September. They are uncommon in November and rare in December, January and February. Occurrence in the Northern Lower Peninsula is basically the same as in the Southern LP, except that shovelers are largely absent in December, January and February. In the UP, they are rare for most of April, uncommon from late April through May, casual in June and July, uncommon from late August through October, dwindling to rare from late October through mid-November, and absent until late March (Chartier and Ziarno 2004). The increase in observations of shovelers, and the increase in breeding evidence for the second atlas period in Michigan mirrors the overall
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata) Mike Sefton
Literature Cited Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MI-DNR). 2005b. Species of Greatest Austin, J.E., and M.R. Miller. 1995. Northern Conservation Need. Shoveler (Anas clypeata). In The Birds of
© 2011 Kalamazoo Nature Center