Shoveler Life Cycle: Nest Building To Fledging (and everything in between)

Male shoveler ducks are easy to identify during the breeding season with their broad shovel-like bill, green/black head, white breast and reddish brown body. 

The females pose more of a challenge as they are much like many other female ducks apart from that shovel-like bill. They have that mottled brown colouring of many female ducks, with only a few identifying features.

One is that large shovel-like bill and another striking feature is the blue flash on the shoulder which is only visible when the bird is in flight. Once the breeding season is over, males go through what is commonly known as “the moult”.

This is where the male shoveler duck (and many other male duck species) lose their bright, colourful feathers and look to all intents and purposes like the female. This stage is also called their “eclipse” plumage and is a mottled brown colour very similar to that of the female.

This is done to help protect the males from attack by predators as they can blend into their surroundings. Keep reading to find out much more about shoveler ducks.

How Long Does A Shoveler Live?

The average lifespan for a shoveler duck is around 3 years in the wild. They will typically reach sexual maturity at the age of 1 year and find a partner and breed.

There is evidence from ringing data that suggests that some shovelers can live for far longer than the estimated 3 years. With one in particular being recorded to have been ringed more than 22 years and 7 months before it died!

How Fast Can A Shoveler Fly?

The shoveler duck needs to be in water to feed but that doesn’t mean that these impressive ducks can’t fly. They have been recorded flying at speeds of up to 40 mph (65 kilometres per hour).

Which is around 18 metres per second however, like most birds in flight, they can cover large distances in far shorter times than their top flight speed would suggest. This is because they use the wind and air thermals which means if the wind is behind them, they can reach much higher speeds.

All of this means that shovelers like other birds, can achieve far higher flight speeds during migratory flights than they can during normal everyday flights.

Are Shovelers Aggressive?

In general, the shoveler is a peaceful bird and shows no aggression to other bird species. They can often be found foraging for food alongside other waterfowl and even form mixed foraging groups.

Having said that, they can exhibit aggressive behaviour when intruders enter their nesting sites. This aggression is shown in a series of displays including; jabbing or pumping actions using their bill, in some cases they open their bill in an aggressive way, they also pump their heads up and down while pointing their bill.

Other forms of aggression include chasing intruders away and even fighting with 2 birds at once. In fact shovelers are in many ways more aggressive than any other of the ducks that they share their waters with.

They can also display these same aggressive actions on their wintering grounds as part of their courting rituals.

What Is A Shoveler’s Habitat?

Shoveler ducks breed in the south and east of England, particularly around the North Kent marshes, the Humber and the Wash where they breed in large numbers. There are a few smaller breeding groups to be found in western England and parts of Scotland.

During the winter, breeding shovelers move south while European shovelers arrive to bolster the numbers. They feed by using their large spoon-like bill which they move across the surface of water. 

For this reason their habitat is shallow lagoons and marshland. They are often found on floodplains and other areas of water that are only temporary as this reduces the competition for food from other birds.

How Long Does It Take For A Shoveler To Build A Nest?

Shovelers make a scrape nest by using their feet, bill and body to scrape the surface away to create a small depression. This depression is around 8 inches in width and is typically surrounded by vegetation and lined with soft, downy feathers.

The nest is made solely by the female in grassy areas away from open water with the male standing guard to deter any other male paying any attention to his mate. The nest can be built in a matter of hours or can take a day or two to complete.

Eggs

Now we’ve learned about the nest and how it’s made, let’s move onto the eggs of the shoveler duck.

When Do Shovelers Lay Eggs?

Once the nest has been built to her satisfaction, the female will lay her eggs. The breeding season typically runs from April to June depending on climatic conditions.

If the weather is fine early on in the season, she will lay her eggs and start to incubate them around mid April. However, May is the typical egg laying month for the shoveler duck.

How Many Eggs Does A Shoveler Lay?

The female shoveler will lay anywhere between 8 to 12 eggs in the scrape nest. If an intruder is detected near the nest, she will defecate on the eggs in an attempt to deter the would-be predator.

She then scampers away from the nest in an attempt to distract the intruder into pursuing her and not finding her eggs.

What Do Shoveler Eggs Look Like?

Shoveler eggs are an off white or pale olive colour which are incubated primarily by the female. The male is often found on guard duty protecting the female and his brood from any would-be predators or intruders.

The eggs are around 46 to 57 mm in length and around 33 to 39 cm wide. They weigh an average of around 40g with 8% of that weight being the weight of the shell.

How Long Do Shoveler Eggs Take To Hatch?

The eggs are incubated for around 22 to 25 days before hatching. Shoveler eggs take around 3 to 3 ½  weeks to hatch. 

During this time it’s the female that incubates the eggs while the male is often found lurking in nearby waters. The female will leave the nest to feed whilst the male stays alert looking for any intruders or predators.

Chicks

Now let’s look at the next stage of their development, from the hatching of the chicks to their fledging.

How Many Chicks Does A Shoveler Have?

Broods of as many as 12 chicks have been recorded by birdwatchers; however, 8 or 9 seems to be the average number. It is common for males to accompany females when teaching the brood to swim and search for food etc.

The survival rate of shoveler chicks can vary from as little as 10% to as high as 70%. The most common causes of shoveler chick mortality include; predators, bad weather conditions, starvation, disease and parasites.

When Do Shoveler Chicks Open Their Eyes?

Shoveler ducks are precocial which means they are hatched with their eyes open and covered in downy feathers. They typically leave the nest for the first time a few hours after hatching.

They follow their mother to the water and start to learn how to feed themselves almost immediately.

When Do Shoveler Chicks Fledge?

The young shoveler chicks start to fly after around 40 to 45 days at which point, they fledge the nest and gain their independence.

This means that from the eggs being laid to the chicks fledging the nest, a period of around 60 to 70 days has passed.

SEE ALSO: Aquatic Warbler Eggs to Chicks: Hatching, Development, and Fledging

Frequently Asked Questions