Canvasbacks
General Info ... Other Duck Species ... Photo Gallery
Books, CDs and DVDs about Ducks, Geese and Other Fowl (
, 
, 
, 
)
The Canvasbacks (Diving Ducks - Aythya valisineria) is a large diving duck, 48-60 cm long and weighing 1270 g.
The adult male has a black bill, a red head and neck, a black breast, red eyes and a whitish body. The adult female has a brown head and body and a black bill.
Their breeding habitat is North American prairie wetlands. The bulky nest is built from vegetation in a marsh and lined with down. Loss of nesting habitat has caused populations to decline. Canvasbacks usually take new mates each year, pairing in late winter.
Canvasbacks are strongly migratory and overwinter on the coasts of the United States, the Great Lakes and British Columbia in saltwater bays, estuaries or lakes.
This species is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.
Canvasbacks feed mainly by diving, sometimes dabbling, mostly eating aquatic plants with some molluscs, aquatic insects and small fish. Wild celery, Valisneria americana, is a favourite food and is the origin of this bird's species name.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org
Related Web Resources: USGS ... Canvasback (Virtual Bird Field Guide) ... Birds of Nova Scotia
Photo, Video and/or Article contributions are welcome! Please click here for info
The Avianweb strives to maintain accurate and up-to-date information; however, mistakes do happen. If you would like to correct or update any of the information, please send us an e-mail. THANK YOU!
