Northern Shoveler

How to find it

Look for open freshwater marshes and lakes in Guanacaste in winter. In the far north, most visits start at Los Chiles, where visitors board a boat and travel up the Río Frío to the lake. Guides there take visitors out on the lagoon and river for about 2.5 to 3 hours in the morning or afternoon, and the shoveler is among the ducks to look for. A guided boat trip down the Tempisque River in Palo Verde lists it among the birds typically seen, alongside White Ibis, Snail Kite and American Wigeon. Scan for the spoon-shaped bill and, in flight, the pale blue wing patch.

How to recognise it

Start with the bill. The long, spoon-shaped bill is the key mark.

In flight, look at the upper wing. It is the only large duck with pale blue-grey patches there, and the patch in the middle of the wing is green, with a white front border.

The adult male has:

- a dark green head

- a white chest

- a black bill

- a black tail with white outer feathers

Females are mottled buff and brown with a finely speckled buff head. Their bill is orange and dusky, and the upper wing patches are duller grey.

What it sounds like

Recording: David Weisenbeck, CC BY 4.0, source, read 4 Nov 2026.

Behaviour and diet

The shoveler feeds at the water surface, usually swimming slowly in shallow water and sweeping its bill from side to side. Comb-like edges on the bill strain out plankton, insects, small crustaceans and seeds.

In Costa Rica, large migrating flocks may circle on thermals like Buteo hawks, while single birds or small groups may fly low with a powerful, fast flight. Outside the breeding season it is less sociable than many ducks and tends to form only small flocks.

Where it lives

It uses open freshwater marshes and lakes, and sometimes salt pans. In Costa Rica it is found in the lowlands and at intermediate elevations.

Guanacaste is where it is fairly common as a winter visitor. Across the rest of the country it is local and in small numbers. It is also listed among the waterbirds of a wildlife refuge in the far north.

When to see it

In Guanacaste it is present as a winter resident between October and March, sometimes into early April. In the far north wetlands, most birds, including this one, show up in the dry season, from December to April, as the water falls and leaves only the Río Frío channel.

Similar birds

The female looks like a female Mallard but is easy to separate by her long, broad bill, greyish on top with orange at the edges and on the lower part. In Costa Rica the only other duck with orange legs is the Mallard, which is very rare there. The shoveler is told apart by its long, spatula-shaped bill.

Names and lore in Costa Rica

The official Costa Rican Spanish name is Pato Cuchara, with Carraco given as an alternative. Carraco is also used for other small ducks such as the Blue-winged Teal and Cinnamon Teal. A Costa Rican bird-guide site lists it simply as Pato or Pato cuchara.

Status and conservation

The AOCR list marks it as a migrant (M), and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern worldwide.

Photography tips

Shovelers often rest on land near the water during the midday heat, so you may find them loafing on shores then. In flight, the pale blue and green wing patches show well.