Shoveler
Length--19½
Weight--1½ lbs.
Shovelers, 'spoonbills' to many, are early migrants, moving out at the
first frost. The largest numbers are in the Central and Pacific flyways.
The usual flight is steady and direct. When startled, the small flocks
twist and turn in the air like teal.
They are not highly regarded as table birds, because one third of the
usual diet is animal matter.
Drakes call woh-woh and took-took; the hen's quack is feeble.