Understanding Waterfowl: Courtship and Pair Bonding
For waterfowl, timing is everything when selecting a mate. By Mike Brasher, Ph.D.
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Understanding Waterfowl: Cross-Seasonal Effects
Habitat conditions on migration and wintering areas may influence waterfowl breeding potential the following spring. By J. Dale James, Ph.D.
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Understanding Waterfowl: Fat Is Fit
Gaining weight is a good thing for waterfowl during fall and winter. By John M. Coluccy, Ph.D., and Jessica B. Ruthenberg.
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September is National Rice Month
The USA Rice Federation has declared September to be National Rice Month.
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Understanding Waterfowl: Tracking the Mallard Migration
Research has provided a wealth of new information about mallard movements and habitat preferences. By Luke Naylor and Andrew Raedeke, Ph.D.
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Waterfowl Band Return Maps
Bands play an important role in the management of North America's waterfowl by providing important information on waterfowl movements, harvest and survival rates. View maps to see where your ducks come from.
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Photo Essay: The Northern Pintail
In the world of ducks, the northern pintail takes the prize for elegance. Even its nickname—sprig—suggests a certain amount of refinement, as in the sprig of parsley a chef might use to garnish a fancy dish.
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Understanding Waterfowl: Drakes and Ganders
A closer look at the fascinating mating strategies of male ducks and geese
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Ducks in Wild Abundance
Just how good were the good old days? Waterfowl biologists explore how large the fall flight might have been in early America
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Dr. James D. Nichols honored at 2013 Wetland Conservation Achievement Awards Ceremony
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – April 1, 2013 – Ducks Unlimited announced today the winners of the 2013 Wetland Conservation Achievement Awards during the 78th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference held in Arlington, Va., at the Crystal Gateway Hyatt. This year's recipient in the Research/Technical category is Dr. James D. Nichols.
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Duck symposium to convene in Memphis next week
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Jan. 25, 2013 - Waterfowl experts will be flocking to Memphis from Jan. 27-31 for the Ecology and Conservation of North American Waterfowl (ECNAW) international symposium. Memphis-based Ducks Unlimited is among the major contributors to this important conference, which aims to synthesize current knowledge of waterfowl and their habitats and help guide future science and conservation efforts.
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Waterfowler's Notebook: Patterning Late-Season Ducks
Biology plays a bigger role in duck hunting than most hunters realize. Duck behavior is governed by instincts such as feeding, mating, and surviving. In winter, for example, ducks spend much of their time seeking mates for the spring breeding season and building energy reserves for the coming northbound migration.
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Understanding Waterfowl: Mallards and Their Relatives
Widely distributed across North America, Asia, and Europe, the mallard is the most abundant duck in the northern hemisphere. Mallards are successful because they are adaptable, which allows them to exploit diverse habitats and resources. Mallards are also one of the most prolific breeders in the waterfowl world. In some cases, hen mallards have been observed making up to six nesting attempts in a single breeding season.
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Understanding Waterfowl: Story of the Giants
A closer look at the remarkable comeback of the giant Canada goose
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Understanding Waterfowl: Drought and Deluge
We can't control the weather, but conserving wetlands and grasslands on the prairies will help ensure the long-term health of duck populations
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2012 Duck numbers remain strong as habitat declines
MEMPHIS, Tenn. - July 3, 2012 - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) released its preliminary report today on breeding ducks and habitats, based on surveys conducted in May and early June. Total populations were estimated at 48.6 million breeding ducks in the surveyed area. This estimate represents a 7 percent increase over last year's estimate of 45.6 million birds, and is 43 percent above the 1955-2010 long-term average. This year's estimate is a record high and is only the sixth time in the survey's history that the total duck population exceeded 40 million.
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Habitat conservation priority for healthy bird populations in Canada
The North American Bird Conservation Initiative in Canada (NABCI-Canada), a collaborative group made up of federal, territorial and provincial governments, conservation non-government organizations (NGOs), and private sector organizations, released The State of Canada's Birds, a new national report that draws on 40 years of data to explore the current health of Canada's birds.
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Duck Numbers Remain Strong as Habitat Declines
Total populations were estimated at 48.6 million breeding ducks in the surveyed area. This estimate represents a 7 percent increase over last year's estimate of 45.6 million birds, and is 43 percent above the 1955-2010 long-term average.
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Understanding Waterfowl: The Amazing Molt
Waterfowl replace all of their feathers with new plumage at least once a year
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Understanding Waterfowl: The Blue-Winged Ducks
Northern shovelers and blue-winged and cinnamon teal are among the most closely related of North America's ducks
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Research Seeks to Unravel Sea Duck Mystery
The 15 species of waterfowl known as sea ducks constitute 42 percent of all duck species breeding in North America. And yet sea ducks are the least understood of all waterfowl.
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Story of Survival
As a waterfowl biologist, I am often asked how long ducks and geese live. Well, it all depends.
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Finding the Way
Waterfowl have amazing navigational abilities that guide their migrations
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Waterfowl of the Boreal Forest
Many of the ducks harvested in the United States are raised in this remote northern region
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Duck Numbers Remain Strong as Pond Counts Approach Record Levels
Excellent wetland conditions have set the stage for above-average waterfowl production
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Waterfowl Feeding Adaptations
Ducks and geese are well equipped to find food in a variety of habitats
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Whooping cranes benefit from NAWCA and NET funded DU restorations in Nebraska
While elected officials were determining the fate of the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, whooping cranes were spotted enjoying two Ducks Unlimited properties in Nebraska.
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Understanding Waterfowl: Ways of the Wigeon
These fascinating ducks have many characteristics and behaviors that set them apart
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Picture Perfect
Stunning images from the winners of our 2nd annual Ducks Unlimited magazine photo contest
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Photo Essay: The Spectacular Wood Duck
A photographic tribute to one of the world's most colorful ducks
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Understanding Waterfowl: Tracking the Black Duck
DU research sheds new light on this prized bird's migration habits
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DU Celebrates Second Consecutive CRP Sign-up
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced another general sign-up for CRP, which will begin March 14, 2011, and continue through April 15, 2011, marking the second year in a row that USDA has offered a general CRP sign-up.
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Photo Essay: Wonders of the White Goose
A photographic tribute to North America's magnificent light geese
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Understanding Waterfowl: Waterfowl Feathers
Feathers are indeed among the defining characteristics of waterfowl and other birds. Birds, in fact, are the only animals that have feathers. And while feathers have many specialized functions, their most important jobs are to protect birds from the elements and to enable flight. In bitter cold, wintry conditions feathers are a duck's first line of defense.
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Photo Essay: Waterfowl Feathers
Enjoy the vibrance and beauty of waterfowl feathers
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Cleaning and Maintaining Wood Duck Boxes
Tips for keeping your wood duck nesting boxes in good condition season after season
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Waterfowl Diseases
Ducks and geese suffer a variety of illnesses that are seldom evident to people
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Summer's End
After the breeding season, ducks must molt and must build energy reserves in time for fall migration.
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Shortcuts to Duck ID
By observing these and other characteristics, you’ll soon distinguish ducks you once thought impossible to identify.
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Why Waterfowl Migrate
Ducks and geese fly long distances to find the resources they need to survive and reproduce
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Danger From Above
Raptors are common predators of waterfowl in many areas of North America.
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Duck Nesting Success FAQ's
What is it and what impacts it?
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Duckling Survival
A variety of factors influence how many young ducks fly south each fall.
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The Moveable Feast
During spring migration, waterfowl need an abundance of food to return to the breeding grounds in good condition.
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Waterfowl Mating Systems II
How ducks and geese select their mates and maintain pair bonds varies among species.
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A Bird's-Eye View
What a hunter believes to be effective concealment can be viewed very differently by the ducks. A brief look at how birds actually see may explain why situations like this occur countless times during duck season.
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Florida Mottled Duck Research Project - Methods
Methods and objectives of Ducks Unlimited's Florida Mottled Duck Research Project
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Ducks After Dark
An inside look at the nocturnal behavior of waterfowl.
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Waterfowl Sex Ratios
A variety of factors influence the proportion of males and females in waterfowl populations.
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Diving Ducks: Into the Deep
Diving ducks are perfectly designed for feeding in deep-water habitats.
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Life in the Egg
A look at the incubation process and the amazing transformation that occurs within each egg.
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Nest Site Selection
Selecting a nest site is an important decision in the annual cycle of ducks. Nest site choice can influence whether the female survives the nesting season and her eggs survive to hatch.
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Waterfowl Energy Demands
Ducks need an abundance of carbohydrate-rich food to meet their needs during migration and winter.
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Nature or Nurture
Both instinct and learning play important roles in shaping waterfowl behavior.
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Aleutian Geese: Back from the Brink
Once on the verge of extinction, the Aleutian goose has now surpassed population goals.
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Amazing Waterfowl Facts
Incredible information from the world of waterfowl
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Stay Off My Pond
Gregarious throughout much of the year, waterfowl seek isolation during the breeding season.
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Flying Machines
Like high-performance aircraft, waterfowl are built to fly.
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Webbed Wonders
Waterfowl use their feet for much more than just standing and swimming.
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Birds of a Feather
Plumage colors result from pigments and from the structure and reflective properties of feathers.
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The Great Scaup Mystery
Research efforts have uncovered important clues in the puzzling decline of scaup populations and have raised new questions biologists must explore.
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Waterfowl CSI
Isotope analysis is helping researchers solve waterfowl mysteries.
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Getting Ready for the Migration
After the breeding season, ducks must molt and must build energy reserves in time for fall migration.
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The Incubation Period
For female waterfowl, hatching a nest requires a big investment of time and energy.
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Winter Homes for Waterfowl
Farm Bill programs help ensure that wintering grounds across the continent continue to meet the needs of ducks and geese.
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The Salt Marsh Sovereig
New research is looking at the food and habitat resources that must be in place for wintering black ducks to thrive.
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Wings in Action
Differences in wing size and shape determine the flight capabilities of waterfowl.
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Waterfowl Hybrids
Crossbreeding produces rare and interesting birds but also threatens the survival of some species.
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Dressed for Success
A drake’s bright colors and a hen’s dull plumage both play crucial roles in breeding.
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Extrapair Paternity
Many waterfowl broods include offspring from more than one male.
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Waterfowl Diseases
Ducks and geese are vulnerable to a number of illnesses, and habitat loss increases the risk of major outbreaks.
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Fueling the Engines
Natural selection dictates that the fittest individuals (i.e., those best at survival and reproduction) dominate the population, while those less adept at making a living contribute less to the gene pool, or are eventually eliminated altogether. Fundamental to this concept is the notion that the physical and behavioral attributes of the animals we see today are well matched to the environmental challenges they face.
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Teal Time
Blue-winged teal start heading south in August
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Redhead Hens: The Parasite Queen
Redhead hens are one of the most common duck species to engage in nest parasitism, laying their eggs in the nests of other hens and leaving their young to be reared by them.
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If at First You Don't Succed
For breeding hens, producing a brood of ducklings requires perseverance as well as good nesting habitat
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How Ducks Navigate
Birds use several visual and nonvisual orientation mechanisms to navigate. Some of the visual cues include the sun, polarized light, the stars, and even landmarks.
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Birds of a Feather
Waterfowl rely on their feathers for much more than flying.
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Waterfowl Renesting
For many species of ducks, persistence is crucial to reproductive success.
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The Curious Lives of Sea Ducks
The breeding and feeding habits of these remarkable maritime birds differ greatly from those of dabbling ducks.
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The Importance of Wintering Habitat
Food availability on the wintering grounds may have a significant impact on waterfowl populations.
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Pintails: A Love-Hate Relationship with Spring Wetlands
Upon arriving in the prairie pothole country in early spring, pintails find a cold and often frozen landscape. To pintails, the spring thaw can provide a virtual paradise of spring wetlands, or a dry, barren desert.
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Waterfowl Vocalizations
Interpreting their odd assortment of whistles, grunts, quacks, honks, coos, clucks, and trills
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New Breed of Goose
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Waterfowl Mating Systems
Some species pair for life, whereas others invest a lot of time forming new pair bonds each year—an activity that at first glance would seem too costly and time consuming.
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Status of the Wood Duck
The survival and recovery of wood duck populations in North America are renowned wildlife success stories.
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Mallards & Flooded Timber
Bottomland forested wetlands are havens for wintering waterfowl.
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Whistling Ducks
There are eight species of whistling ducks in the world, but only two-the black-bellied and fulvous whistling ducks-occur in the United States.
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The Shotgun Approach to Nest Success
Did you ever wonder why some species have a lot of offspring and provide only short-term limited care for their young, while others have few offspring and provide long-term intensive care? These differences in reproductive strategies have been the object of scientific investigation and debate for years.
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Mallard Life Cycle
In the space of one year a duck experiences the full spectrum of seasonal changes that usher in opportunities and challenges. Follow the life cycle diagram from breeding to wintering for a better understanding of the activities and energy requirements in different phases of a duck's annual cycle.
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Waterfowl Biology & Research
Learn more about waterfowl biology, research, identification and much more! You'll also find links to the popular "Understanding Waterfowl" features seen in past issues of DU Magazine.
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Parental Care
Early life for young waterfowl can range from surviving in a single-parent family to living a bird’s version of an Ozzie and Harriet-style childhood.
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Ducks Out of Water
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Ducklings and Goslings
Young waterfowl face many challenges but are amazingly well-adapted to their new environment.
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A Brighter Future for Great Lakes Mallards
Ducks Unlimited researchers explore the needs of mallards in the Great Lakes and the implications they have on DU's conservation strategy.
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Banding Together
Band recoveries reported by hunters are an essential source of information for waterfowl managers.
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The Scoop on Duck Bills
These specialized feeding tools come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
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Trials of the Tundra
Once Arctic-nesting geese reach their breeding grounds, they are in a race against time.
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