The US Fish and Wildlife Service today released its report on 2014 Trends in Duck Breeding Populations, based on surveys conducted in May and early June. Total populations were estimated at 49.2 million breeding ducks in the surveyed area. This estimate represents an 8-percent increase from last year's estimate of 45.6 million birds, and is 43 percent higher than the 1955-2013 long-term average. This continues a three-year trend of exceptional water conditions and population numbers for many species.
More: Breeding duck numbers up 8 percent
Each week, over 100 state, federal and Ducks Unlimited biologists rank the progress of mallard migration from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Learn more.