Breeding Population of Ducks Down 7% Compared to Last Year

Tuesday, August 22nd, 2023 -- 9:00 AM

(Paul Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) The breeding population of ducks in North America was estimated at 32.3 million this spring, down 7% year-over-year and 9% from the long-term mean, according to the 2023 Waterfowl Population Status report released Friday by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

According to Paul Smith with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the five most abundant species surveyed, mallard, blue-winged teal, scaup (combination of greater and lesser), northern shoveler and gadwall, all showed lower numbers.

The declines observed this spring are part of a trend seen since 2015 when a record high 49.5 million ducks were estimated across the continent. Increased conversion of grassland to agriculture and a decline in enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program have contributed to a loss of waterfowl breeding habitat in recent years, according to conservation groups.

It's not clear whether highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, contributed to the observed year-over-year decline. The disease has circulated in North America since late 2021 and affected many bird species, including waterfowl.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service made no mention of HPAI in its report. Among geese, the report estimated 1.34 million giant Canada geese in the Mississippi Flyway, a 6% decline from 2022.

Due to focused revenue from programs such as federal and state duck stamps and the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, waterfowl have fared much better than other bird groups over the last fifty years.

A 2019 paper in Science found the total breeding bird population in the continental U.S. and Canada dropped 29% since 1970, including an estimated 53% loss in grassland bird species, 33% loss in boreal forest species and 17% loss in eastern forest species.

Waterfowl, though, showed a 56% increase from 1970 through 2019, one of the only bright spots in an otherwise very concerning decline of avian life. Still the 2023 breeding waterfowl survey results were "somewhat disappointing" and reflect a complex relationship between waterfowl, weather and habitat availability, said Ducks Unlimited chief scientist Steve Adair in a statement.

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