Platalea leucorodia
The shoveler is one of the most unmistakable birds in the Danube Delta due to its bizarre beak, flattened at the tip in the shape of a shovel or spoon. It is an elegant, sociable bird that puts on a great show when hunting in groups on shallow lakes.
The plumage is completely white. During the breeding season, adults have a yellow patch at the base of the neck and a tuft of long feathers on the nape. The most distinctive feature remains the long, black (with a yellow tip in adults), terminally widened beak. The legs are long and black.
It prefers areas with shallow water, usually below 30 cm deep, with a muddy bottom. In the Danube Delta, it nests in colonies, as a rule, located in inaccessible reeds or on grass. It is a migratory species, arriving in March and leaving in September.
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The shoveler reaches sexual maturity at 3–4 years. It nests in mixed colonies, along with herons and egrets. The nest is built in reeds or flooded willows, from twigs and vegetation. Lays 3–5 white eggs with brown spots, hatched by both sexes over 24–25 days. Chicks are nidifugus and can walk immediately after hatching. They are fed by their parents and become fliers at 45–54 days. It arrives in March and leaves in September for Africa or southern Europe. It can live 10–15 years.
The status is "Least Concern" (LC). The Delta population is stable, but the species remains vulnerable to declining water levels in feeding areas and heavy metal pollution of sediments.
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