Shoveler

🔍 Overview

A distinctive dabbling duck with a comically large bill, found widely in Sussex in winter and during passage.

🪶 Key Identification Features

Large spatula-shaped bill

Male: green head, white breast, chestnut flanks

Feeds by sweeping bill side-to-side

🗺️ Habitat & Distribution

Found in Pulborough Brooks, Goring Gap, Brighton Marina, and Brooklands, mainly September–May.

🎶 Voice & Behaviour

Male has a soft “took-took” call. Often spins in tight circles with others while feeding on surface invertebrates.