The most unique feature of the northern shoveler is its large shovel-shaped bill.
Male shovelers have green heads, a white body, rusty-red undersides and black wings.
Females have mottled brown, black and white feathers and a blue patch on their wings. The northern shoveler breeds from Alaska east to northern Manitoba and south to California and the Great Lakes region. It winters from Oregon south to California and west across the southern United States and up the east coast to New Jersey. The northern shoveler can be found in marshes and prairie potholes. They need habitats with shallow water with muddy bottoms.