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Northern Shovelers are extremely migratory, traveling extended distances between breeding grounds and wintering areas.
They usually appear in breeding grounds in around April or May, and leave in late summer or early fall, with males often leaving earlier than females and young https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/northern-shoveler https://stlzoo.org/animals/birds/waterfowl/northern-shoveler -
Northern Shovelers are considered late spring migrants among dabbling ducks.
Most individuals depart their wintering grounds in late March. They arrive in breeding areas in late April or early to mid-May. They are among the last dabbling ducks to arrive on their breeding grounds. https://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/northern-shoveler -
Fall migration is relatively early compared to other waterfowl. small groups, mainly along established flyways.
Males often leave the breeding grounds in late August or early September, before females and young. The female and young typically depart in late September or October. They migrate in https://www.sdakotabirds.com/species/maps/northern_shoveler_map.htm -
Wintering Areas
In North America, Northern Shovelers winter south of a line from Washington to Idaho and from New Mexico east to Kentucky, as well as along the Atlantic Seaboard as far north as Massachusetts.They also winter in southern Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, the Caribbean, northern South America, and other areas.They are often found in open wetlands, shallow waters, marshes, and estuaries (river mouth). https://www.fws.gov/story/2022-03/line-northern-shoveler