No appetite for shovelers

Is there a good reason why shovelers, unlike most dabbling ducks, make such poor eating?

Unlike most surface-feeding ducks, such as mallard, teal and wigeon, all of which are principally vegetarian, shovelers include a far greater proportion of animal matter in their diet. This includes small molluscs, insects and plankton. Such a diet clearly taints the flesh. It’s not unusual to see pairs or small groups of shovelers feeding head to tail, swimming in circles. These birds are disturbing microscopic food in the water, which they filter with their specially adapted beaks. These have hair-like serrations on both the upper and lower mandibles, which form a highly efficient filtering device.

In North America, where this species is also common, it was known jokingly as the neighbours’ duck

— it was the bird that the duck hunter gave away to his neighbours after a successful flight. Many wildfowlers avoid shooting shoveler because they make such poor eating. DT

Shovelers are not known for being a delicacy, and this is due to their diet