Missouri Waterfowl Band Return Map

While Missouri's annual migration originates from across the Northern US and Canada, the vast majority of our wintering ducks come to us from the Prairie Pothole Region, also know as the “Duck Factory”.

"This Duck Factory" has been Ducks Unlimited’s #1 conservation priority area since the organization’s inception in 1937.

Our science tells us that there is no place on this continent where we can have a bigger impact on waterfowl populations than the prairies. Ducks Unlimited will continue to keep this critical conservation focus now and in the future.

These banding maps show just how important the Prairie Pothole Region is to Missouri and to the rest of the country.

These returns represent birds banded in the year they were born in the Prairie Pothole Region and harvested the subsequent season. They include reported bands from 1937 to 2005. While all banding data is important to scientists, these “Young of the Year” returns are the best way to measure the direct impact the prairies have on your state.


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North American Band Return Map

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