In Alabama during: Fall | Spring | Winter
SCIENTIFIC NAME:Anas clypeata
OTHER NAMES: Spoonbill, Spoonie, Smiley
STATUS: Historical breeder. Common in winter, spring, and fall in all regions, and occasional in summer in Tennessee Valley region. Lowest Conservation Concern.
DESCRIPTION: A medium-size dabbling duck with a length of 18 to 20 inches and weighing 1.1 to 1.8 lbs. Both male and female have a large spoon like bill that widens toward the tip. The bill on the male is black and the female has an olive-green with orange that is speckled with black dots. The male has an iridescent green head and neck with a white chest and breast. The belly and sides are chestnut in color. A white stripe extends from the breast along the margin of the gray-brown back with white spots on the flank. The wings have a gray-blue shoulder patch that is separated with a green speculum that is bordered with a white stripe. The female has a light brownish head with a blackish crown and the body is a brownish color with speckles. The upper wing coverts are grayish-blue, the greater secondary coverts are tipped with white and the secondaries are brown with a slight greenish sheen.
