Feeding sites characteristics of the Northern shoveler Spatula clypeata in prenuptial stopover

Dabbling ducks choose a multitude of habitats throughout their life cycle. This choice depends on the abundance, diversity, and accessibility of food resources. Wetlands such as the Marais breton and Marais poitevin (Atlantic coast, France) are common habitats for several Anatidae, especially during their prenuptial migration. However, studies on the food ecology of Anatidae at stopover sites are limited. Therefore, this study focused on the Northern shoveler Spatula clypeata, a species that regularly inhabits the two marshes during the breeding and migration periods and is highly dependent on freshwater invertebrates as the food resource because of its bill morphology. Fifteen Northern shoveler were equipped with a GPS/GSM tag and monitored during their prenuptial migration. The study objectives were to understand the strategies used by the Northern shoveler to select the foraging sites and describe the characteristics of these sites (such as freshwater invertebrates' abundance and diversity and the habitat type). In addition, home range (HR), space use, and habitat selection were studied.