Black Duck
Black duck (Anas rubripes)
Help the black duck: DONATE TODAY.
Black ducks and mallards breed together and compete for resources where their populations overlap.
Appearance:
Black ducks are large dabbling ducks. The drake and hen are similar in appearance and are easily distinguished only by the colour of their bill, which is greenish yellow on the drake and dull olive-green to black on the hen. Both the male and female black duck resemble a mallard hen, but have a noticeably darker black-brown body that contrasts with their light brown head.
Breeding:
Most black ducks arrive on the breeding grounds already paired. Females select a nest site that is located in wooded, bushy or grassy areas under overhanging vegetation that protects and conceals the nest. Females lay an average of nine greenish buff or creamy white eggs, which they incubate for about 26 days. The female stays with her ducklings for seven to eight weeks until they are able to fly. She then retires to a secluded area to moult. Males typically abandon females during mid-incubation and move to larger lakes and wetlands to moult their feathers
Habitat:
Shallow lakes, ponds, streams, bays, coves, mudflats, wetlands, woodland ponds and surrounding uplands.
Range:
The black duck is found throughout eastern parts of Canada and the United States. They breed in the north-eastern U.S. and eastern Canada. The species winters in eastern coastal areas of the U.S. and in open water along the Great Lakes.
Diet:
Young depend on tree-lined brooks and ponds for larvae from mosquitoes and other insects during their first two weeks of life. Poorly-timed pesticide use and acid rain can threaten early survival. Mature birds rely on plants.
Status and conservation issues:
Long-running surveys of the mid-winter black duck population showed a drastic de cline in the population between 1955 and 1983. A number of factors are believed to have contributed t o the decline including high harvest levels and changes in the quality and quantity of habita
t on both the b reeding and wintering grounds. Another contributing factor may be the interaction between the black duck and its close relative the mallard.
The decline in black duck numbers led to the creation of the Black Duck Joint Venture, an international program aimed at restoring the black duck population. Since the program's inception and the implementation of more restrictive harvest regulations in 1980s, the population has stabilized and has recovered in some areas.
Interesting facts:
Prior to the 1930's, the mallard was a rare visitor to eastern North America; however, the species ranges now overlap. In areas where both species are found, the ducks interbreed and compete for resources. The effect of the interbreeding on the black duck population is not well understood, but the mallard-like appearance of the offspring suggests that mallards are dominant in the hybridization.