SHOVELER
This is a big duck and is unmistakable due to its large spatulate bill. The breeding drake has an iridescent dark green head, similar to a male mallard. He has a white breast and chestnut belly, and sides. The male's bill is a very dark grey or black. In flight, the pale blue forewing feathers can be seen as well as the rear forewing (or speculum), feathers which are green and separated from the front by a white border. The female is a mottled brown like a lot of the dabbling ducks and is very similar to the female mallard except for the large bill. The bill on the female is grey tinged with orange on the cutting edge and lower mandible.
The shoveler is a dabbling duck and can often be seen upended, looking for food. They move their bills from side to side to strain invertebrates from the water. The bill is equipped with small comb-like structures (lamellae), that act like sieves and filter out crustaceans, and plankton from the water's surface. They also love mud-bottomed marshes for the invertebrates they hold. This duck is a winter visitor to Kefalonia, and as they prefer open wetlands, wet grasslands and marshes, Livadi is the place to spot them.
