Northern Shoveler At The Pea Island NWR NC Stock Image

Northern Shovelers are uniquely adapted for a life spent foraging for a meal underwater. They feed by drawing water into its large spoon shaped bill and then pump it out through the sides with their tongue.Their bill is lined with a long comb-like lamellae which filters out floating food particles such as tiny crustaceans, molluscs, insects, larvae as well as seeds and pieces of leaves and stems of aquatic plants.In addition to the food particles they’ll also dine on water beetles, small minnows, and snails when available.