Mottled Duck Habitat Use and Density Indices in Agricultural Lands

We established indices of mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) diurnal habitat use and densities in the agricultural areas of southwestern Louisiana during 9 aerial surveys, May 1984-April 1985. We identified 15 habitats on the area. Habitat composition of transects varied among months. We observed fewest...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Journal of wildlife management 1989-01, Vol.53 (1), p.110-114
Main Authors: Zwank, Phillip J., McKenzie, Paul M., Moser, E. Barry
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Agricultural land
Anas fulvigula
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Aquatic birds
Aves
Behavior
Biological and medical sciences
Birds
Demecology
Ducks
Flocks
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Habitat preferences
Habitat utilization
Habitats
Pastures
Rice
Soybeans
Vertebrata
Wildlife habitats
Wildlife management
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Summary:We established indices of mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) diurnal habitat use and densities in the agricultural areas of southwestern Louisiana during 9 aerial surveys, May 1984-April 1985. We identified 15 habitats on the area. Habitat composition of transects varied among months. We observed fewest ducks and smallest flocks (ducks observed/observation) in June, highest counts of ducks in August, and largest flocks in July. Flock size was greatest in July on ponds. Habitats used most frequently were fresh marsh, rice, and flooded harvested fields. Density indices stratified by habitats differed (P < 0.05) among surveys and varied from 0.23 ± 0.04 (SE)/km2during June to 2.65 ± 1.23/km2during August. The most precise density indices of mottled ducks were made during March, April, and June surveys.
ISSN:0022-541X
1937-2817
DOI:10.2307/3801315