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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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
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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Dresseed 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
Fueling the Engines - Feeding and digestion in waterfowl
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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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