Based on the title of this piece you might not have guessed that I was going to talk about ducks again. I could have been more specific, I guess, but then I’d have to go into a long explanation detailing that the flying animal in question is actually a Northern Shoveler Duck and that the whale it represents is specifically a Humpback Whale. Although the “Humpbacks of Mouillee” may have sounded better, it would have been way too obscure even by my standards!

  I trust you’ll see that my connection is really not that obscure when you get to know the duck in question.  I am basing my nefarious linkage between a whale and a waterfowl on a small but significant shared detail – both are superbly adapted filter feeders. It would have been nice to present you with some detail photos of spotless Shoveler specimen to flesh out my premise, but the one that presented itself to me had very little flesh left. Apparently another duck lover had reached it first.

  While walking the dikes surrounding the Pte. Mouillee Marsh the other day, I was treated to a rich tapestry decorated by 15 colorful species of migrating waterfowl.  There were Redheads, Green-winged Teal, Blue-winged Teal, Canvasback, Bluebills, Black Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks and everything in-between. Within this explosion of feathered life there were even a few dozen Shovelers patrolling the shallows. When viewed through binoculars, Shovelers are especially handsome in their spring plumage (see here).

  Not far from the live birds, I came upon the remains of a dead Shoveler that had been placed upon the dike grass in a Picassoesque arrangement. It was picked cleanly to the bone with only the wings, head and feet left intact. Although I didn’t witness the predatory event, I am fairly certain this large bird was killed by a Peregrine Falcon.  The carcass bore all the signs of a fatal encounter with this magnificent falcon – referred to by the old-timers as the “Duck” Hawk because of its preference for waterfowl.  Peregrines pluck their prey before eating it and a pile of downy feathers nearby provided mute testimony of this (see here).

  I’ll spare you the whole dead duck body shot, but will present you with a view of one the bright orange feet (see here). These little appendages look very much like plastic in their precise perfection, but it is the beak that this discussion needs to focus upon. The Northern Shoveler has a perfectly honk’n bill which is perfectly adapted to its way of life. 

  Fortunately our falcon left this portion untouched, so I can present it in its entirety. Take a look at these views (see top angle here, bottom view here, and side view here). It is easy to see why this species is called a “shovel-er” because the beak resembles that implement in general appearance (another common name is Spoonbill). Look closer, however, and you’ll notice the comb-like fringe along the top and bottom edges that add a completely different layer to this look. These tooth-like structures are called lamellae (you might remember this from our earlier examination of a canvasback duck).

  The Lamellae on the Shoveler are developed to an extreme length due to their specialized method of feeding. I’ll need to open the mouth to carry this thing one step closer to the whale comparison.  Take a look here, and not only can you see how far the lamellae extend but you will also get a glimpse of their massive pink tongue (which fills the entire beak cavity). Allow me to treat you to another view – a drawing – of this incredible appendage (see here: top view on the right, bottom view on the left). The tongue is a complex organ that has two large frontal lobes, a row of toothy projections and a hairy fringe of its own.

  I’m betting that you’ve never looked at a Shoveler’s tongue before and that you probably won’t ever again, so please stick with me here. Northern Shovelers happen to be the most advanced filter feeders in the bird world next to flamingos. Humpback whales are among the mammal world’s most advanced filter feeders.  The two creatures have developed incredibly similar structures in order to perform this task: big tongues and filter plates.

  Whales propel themselves forward with open mouths and take in huge quantities of krill filled water while feeding.  They squeeze out the water with their massive tongues and retain the krill via the sieve plate action of the baleen plates suspended down from the edge of their maw. The krill are then delivered into Jonah’s lair and the beast is fed.

  Forging Shovelers barely open their bills when siphoning up their food-enriched mouthful of water. Like a piston, the tongue is pulled back and creates a vacuum which sucks water into the beak cavity.  A forward push of the tongue then squeezes out the water. Tiny invertebrates and plants are captured in the baleen-like lamellae and directed to the throat as a result of the next piston recoil of the tongue. Every surface of the tongue is made to come in complete contact with every inner surface of the bill. Now, tell me that’s not a cool thing.

  No, Shovelers don’t blow spray out of their heads or sing haunting melodies, but they are the most whale-like of our local fauna.