Taking a Dip at the Summer Home -- Northern Shoveler Duck at the Merced Wildlife Refuge, California Wood Print

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Northen Shovelers are the most common duck species at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge.

The shallow pools at the refuge are a good place to spend a winter - The weather is much nicer than the cold of the northern plains and Alaska where Northern Shovelers nest in the summer.

Northern Shovelers paddle around shallow ponds in the refuge spending most of their time doing one of two things: sticking their bills in the water to feed, or looking for a mate to fly north with in the summer.

Northern Shovelers can be easily identified by their large black bills, which they use to scoop up vegetation and tiny invertebrates from the shallow water. Water drains through comblike filters at the edge of their bills called lamellae, trapping any unfortunate critters inside.

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