Dabbling and diving ducks, such as mallards, pintails and scaup, are widespread species throughout North America. Additionally, their migratory flyways pass through Asia and North America overlap in Alaska. Population trends of these species are closely tracked through aerial surveys by management agencies. Results from these and other surveys are then used to formulate management actions to maintain healthy populations. USGS Alaska Science Center research on these species focuses on population status and trends and pathogens, such as avian influenza.
Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems >> Waterfowl Research
Northern Pintail
Aside from research conducted on Northern Pintails as part of Avian Influenza Surveillance and Research, the USGS Alaska Science Center has also studied migration and nesting biology of Northern Pintails to inform how spring conditions, migration, and nesting ecology may drive population trends through time. These studies were conducted due to declines in the number of breeding Northern Pintails in prairie parkland areas of the mid-west U.S. and southern Canada in the 1980’s. These areas were historically where most of the North American population of Northern Pintails nested. However, during the decline, the number of birds breeding in Alaska remained relatively stable, resulting in an increased proportion of all North American pintails breeding in Alaska. USGS Alaska Science Center research sought to understand drivers of productivity of the Alaska breeding population in comparison to other populations.
Scaup
North American scaup populations (including both species; Lesser and Greater Scaup), declined through the 1980’s and 1990’s. When species trends are separated by species, populations of Greater Scaup show relative stability during a period when populations of Lesser Scaup declined from historic levels. In Alaska, Greater Scaup are more common in coastal tundra of the Arctic and Subarctic, whereas Lesser Scaup are found in the boreal forest regions. To provide scientific information about drivers of scaup population trends, the USGS Alaska Science Center studied the survival, nesting ecology, female condition, and productivity of Greater Scaup on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska and developed a model of population dynamics. More recently, USGS Alaska Science Center research has focused on Lesser Scaup in the Boreal Forest to understand how fire and changes in lake surface area influence scaup productivity.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Waterfowl Research
Avian Influenza Research
- Overview
Dabbling and diving ducks, such as mallards, pintails and scaup, are widespread species throughout North America. Additionally, their migratory flyways pass through Asia and North America overlap in Alaska. Population trends of these species are closely tracked through aerial surveys by management agencies. Results from these and other surveys are then used to formulate management actions to maintain healthy populations. USGS Alaska Science Center research on these species focuses on population status and trends and pathogens, such as avian influenza.
Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems >> Waterfowl Research
Northern Pintail
Sources/Usage: Public Domain. Visit Media to see details.Northern Pintail pair on water. Photo taken on the Copper River Delta, Alaska. Northern Pintails, a duck species that, in Alaska, nests throughout the state and in adjacent regions of Russia and Canada. Aside from research conducted on Northern Pintails as part of Avian Influenza Surveillance and Research, the USGS Alaska Science Center has also studied migration and nesting biology of Northern Pintails to inform how spring conditions, migration, and nesting ecology may drive population trends through time. These studies were conducted due to declines in the number of breeding Northern Pintails in prairie parkland areas of the mid-west U.S. and southern Canada in the 1980’s. These areas were historically where most of the North American population of Northern Pintails nested. However, during the decline, the number of birds breeding in Alaska remained relatively stable, resulting in an increased proportion of all North American pintails breeding in Alaska. USGS Alaska Science Center research sought to understand drivers of productivity of the Alaska breeding population in comparison to other populations.
Scaup
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.Greater Scaup on the Arctic Coastal Plain (Credit: Ryan Askren, USGS. Public domain.) North American scaup populations (including both species; Lesser and Greater Scaup), declined through the 1980’s and 1990’s. When species trends are separated by species, populations of Greater Scaup show relative stability during a period when populations of Lesser Scaup declined from historic levels. In Alaska, Greater Scaup are more common in coastal tundra of the Arctic and Subarctic, whereas Lesser Scaup are found in the boreal forest regions. To provide scientific information about drivers of scaup population trends, the USGS Alaska Science Center studied the survival, nesting ecology, female condition, and productivity of Greater Scaup on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska and developed a model of population dynamics. More recently, USGS Alaska Science Center research has focused on Lesser Scaup in the Boreal Forest to understand how fire and changes in lake surface area influence scaup productivity.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Waterfowl Research
Scientists at the USGS Alaska Science Center have conducted research on waterfowl species (ducks, geese, and swans) in Alaska since the 1970s. Because Alaska is an international crossroads of migratory bird flyways, with millions of birds from Asia and North America breeding in Alaska each summer, USGS research has also taken place in adjacent countries (Russia, Japan, Canada, Mexico) and in the...Avian Influenza Research
Since 2006, the USGS Alaska Science Center has been part of the State and Federal interagency team for the detection and response to highly pathogenic (HPAI) viruses in North America. Avian influenza or "bird flu" is a viral disease that primarily infects domestic poultry and wild birds. Avian influenza viruses are naturally occurring in wild birds such as ducks, geese, swans, and gulls. These... - Publications