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Diving ducks frequent large, deep lakes and rivers, as well as coastal bays and inlets. When launching into flight, most of this group patter along the water before becoming airborne. They feed by diving, often to considerable depths. Since their wings are smaller in proportion to the size and weight of their bodies, they have a more rapid wingbeat than puddle ducks.
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Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
At-a-Glance
• Type: Diving duck
• Incubation: 24-29 days
• Clutch Size: 7-10 eggs
• Young Fledge: 56-68 days after hatching
• Typical foods: aquatic plants and mollusks
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Description
The canvasback has a red head with a flat forehead and a long bill. The body is light colored in the middle and dark at the ends. On the water, body size and head shape distinguish them from scaups and redheads.
Habitat and Habits
Normally late to start south, canvasbacks migrate in lines and irregular Vs. In feeding areas, compact flocks fly in indefinite formations. Their wingbeat is rapid and noisy and their speed in swift. The feeding behavior of the canvasback is highly variable. In some areas they feed at night and spend the day rafted up in open water. In other areas they feed inshore mornings and evenings. They are sometimes seen in open marshes, especially in spring, but they prefer the deep waters of lakes and rivers. A drake's voice is a croak, peep, and growl. The hens have a mallard-like quack.
Reproduction and Care of the Young
Canvasbacks nest in marshes on a floating mass of reeds and grass anchored to the stems of aquatic marsh plants. |
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