How to Identify a Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)

• Bill: Male and Female: large spatulate (spoon-shaped) bill, black in males and dusky orange in females
• Head pattern: Male: dark green head and neck
• Wing patch (speculum): Male and Female: large powder blue wing patch, duller in females
• Eye color: Male: yellow iris; Female: brown iris, useful for sexing when plumage is similar
• Body pattern: Female: mottled brownish-gray overall with a somewhat light brown head and a dark eye stripe

Northern Shoveler is larger, with longer wings and a much larger, more spatulate bill than Blue-winged or Cinnamon Teal The Blue-winged Teal page lists its own marks.

Marshes and ponds; salt bays in winter; favors shallow waters with extensive muddy margins Breeds across Alaska, western Canada, and the northern Plains/Rocky Mountains; winters across California, the South, and coastal regions

Shoot from water level if you can, with the sun behind you, so head pattern and the wing patch show their true colors. Get one frame with the bird side-on and one as it stretches or flaps, which exposes the speculum and belly. Note who it is swimming with; ducks flock by species. The app names the likely species; confirm with the marks above, and check the female separately, since females of many ducks look alike.