Ready for their summer home in more ways than one
Northern shovelers at Perumbakkam wetland are displaying behaviors indicative of preparation for their breeding season. As they feed, they exhibit synchronized movements and have begun to change into their breeding plumage. This early preparation allows them to form pairs and bond before migrating to their summer homes.
- ▪Northern shovelers are seen feeding in a drying landscape at Perumbakkam wetland.
- ▪They exhibit synchronized movements and characteristic feeding behavior.
- ▪Many species are in partial or full breeding plumage, indicating preparation for the breeding season.
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Around the crepuscular hour on February 25, at Perumbakkam wetland, a male and a female northern shoveler scuttle through a squiggly line of water that cuts through a rapidly-drying landscape. They are nibbling on an “early dinner” in characteristic northern-shoveler style. The movements of these two northern shovelers are often marked by a degree of synchronicity. Where one goes, the other follows.They use their flat and wide bills in the same manner a gardener would a lawn mower — head down and keeping the machine right on the grassy ground. The ducks strain the mixture of mud and water they have picked up in their bills and find their food. They cover the entire distance of the squiggly line once, go back over covered ground, and then cover it one more time.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Hindu — Top.
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