Northern Shoveler

The northern shoveler is a medium-sized dabbling duck immediately distinguished by its very long, broad, spatula-shaped bill. A breeding male has a glossy dark-green head, white breast, chestnut flanks and belly, and pale blue forewings. Females are mottled brown like many female ducks, but retain the diagnostic oversized bill; both sexes show green in the speculum. The bill's comb-like lamellae form an efficient filtering apparatus for feeding in shallow water. (Wikipedia, northern shoveler account)

Northern shovelers breed across northern Eurasia and North America around shallow marshes, ponds and lakes with open water and abundant aquatic life. They swim with the bill at or just below the surface, sieving plankton, tiny crustaceans, insects, seeds and other plant material; groups sometimes rotate together to stir food upward. The female places her down-lined nest on the ground near water and tends the ducklings. Most northern populations migrate to milder wetlands for winter. (Wikipedia, northern shoveler account)