Canvasback

The canvasback is large, fast-flying diving duck. In the fall, they sometimes gather in large numbers on north-central Minnesota lakes.

Identification

General description: A large duck that has a sloping bill.

Length: About 21 inches.

Weight: About 2 1/2 pounds.

Color: Drake (male) canvasbacks have red eyes, cinnamon-colored heads and brilliant white backs. Females have tan heads, dark brown breasts and cream sides and bellies.

Sounds: A deep staccato purring from the hen and a "whoo" call from the drake.

Reproduction

Canvasbacks are early nesters, usually the first week of May. On average, eight eggs per nest hatch, and the majority of ducklings survive. Young ducks are fully feathered in eight weeks.

Food

Sago pondweed, wild celery tubers, wild rice and aquatic insects.

Predators

Mink, raccoons, hawks and owls.

Habitat and range

Large lakes, potholes and river systems. The highest concentrations of nesting canvasbacks are found on the prairies of western Canada. Each November, canvasbacks fly south across Minnesota to the waterways of Louisiana, Texas, Florida and North Carolina.

Population and management

While canvasback hunting seasons have been closed and bag limits reduced in the past, the canvasback population is now at high levels in many states. Each year, canvasbacks make up about one to three percent of all the ducks harvested in Minnesota.

Fun facts

Canvasback nests are built from cattails or bulrushes and float on the water.