It is somewhat fortunate for the
Northern Shoveler, a.k.a.
Spoony, that it does not taste so good. Northern Shovelers are
game birds. Many are hunted unintentionally due to their resemblance to other dabblers.
Northern Shovelers are also known as "neighbor's mallards" because hunters often give them to their neighbors and keep the more tasty
mallards. Hmmm! The
Golden Rule?
The
Northern Shoveler is one of the most distinctive of the
dabbling ducks. It has an elongated
spatulate bill with comb-like edges to filter out food from the water. Its diet consists mostly of small aquatic invertebrates and seeds of aquatic plants.
I guess the
moral of this story is,
if you taste good, your life will likely be short! If you don't taste good, try to differentiate yourself so that you aren't mistaken for the one that tastes good.