Canvasback

Physical Features

The Canvasback is a diving duck that is only found in North America. It is one of the most powerful fliers among ducks, capable of speeds of 120 km per hour. It is a large sleek duck, weighing on average 2½ pounds, with a sloping profile and an average length of 13-19 inches and a wingspan of 34 inches. Male Canvasbacks have a grayish-white body with a black chest and tail, a copper colored head and neck with red eyes. The female's body is speckled gray and her head, neck and eyes are all brown. Both the drake and the hen have a long sloping forehead and a long pointed black bill.

Habitat

During the breeding season the Canvasback can be found in freshwater marshes and swamps in a range from south and east Alaska to Nebraska and Minnesota. It however winters on lakes, bays, and estuaries of the Great Lakes, on the Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf Coasts and in Mexico.

Diet

Canvasbacks are diving ducks that feed on green aquatic vegetation, including pondweeds, water lilies and sedges. They also eat mollusks, small crustaceans, small fish and insects. Their Latin name, Aythya valisineria is derived from the name of wild celery, which is in fact one of their favorite foods.

Meat

The Canvasback is favored by hunters since its meat has a delicious and flavorsome taste especially when it has been eating wild celery.

Behavior

During the non-breeding season it is common to find Canvasbacks gathered in large flocks or rafts on the water. They are good fliers and can reach speeds of up to 70mph, but they have to take a running start in the surface of the water to help propel them into the air. During migrations they fly in very large V-shaped formations. Male and female Canvasback pair up late in the winter or during migration in the early spring. The hen leads the drake to a suitable nest site, which is usually in the vicinity of where she was reared. After the male has successfully courted and mated the female a floating nest of reeds and grass is made in the marsh attached to vegetation. The nest is lined with down feathers for improved insulation. The hen lays between 7-10 drab olive-green colored eggs which she incubates for about 24 to 28 days after which the ducklings hatch. During this time the drake has already left them and the hen takes care of the young. The ducklings fledge after 8 weeks, but they only reach maturity as yearlings. The lifespan of a Canvasback is poorly known but there have been individuals recorded aged 10 and even 19 years. The drake utters an almost dove-like, ik-ik-cooo cry during courtship to which the female responds with a low quacking cuk-cuk. The Canvasbacks main predators are minks, raccoons, hawks and owls.

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