BOTW 1/3 - 1/7
spatula & anas
Hello everyone!
This week’s bird is the: Northern Shoveler
There are 4 Shovelers out there, all of which are members of the taxonomic group “Spatula.” Great name. It definitely beats “Anas,” the group that contains most dabbling ducks…
Why “Spatula” and “Shoveler?” Because of the crazy big bills that these birds use to capture their prey of choice: small invertebrates. YUM
These birds live across much of the Western US and are year-round residents in the PNW. They can also be found around the world, from Europe to Japan.
Like many ducks, Northern Shovelers are monogamous (mostly). But the males don’t do any of the parenting… Sounds familiar…
To protect their eggs from predation, mothers will defecate (poop) on their eggs if startled. This makes the eggs considerably less tasty.
survivors
Have a great week!