Use of prairie pothole habitat by breeding mallards

Detailed information on the use by mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) of prairie pothole habitat during the nesting season is necessary to interpret habitat needs of the species during the breeding period. Many data have been collected and published relating pair counts to habitat use and water conditions (e.g., Evans and Black 1956; Smith 1971; Stoudt 1971; Stewart and Kantrud 1973, 1974). However, use of pair-count data to assess wetland use tends to emphasize individual wetland units and does not consider total wetland habitat required to sustain a breeding pair on a daily or seasonal basis. We therefore attempted to determine habitat use by individually radio marked mallards during the breeding period. This paper describes home range characteristics and habitat use of a radiomarked sample of mallard hens breeding in North Dakota during 1973-75. Time budget data are also presented for 2 marked pairs of mallard pairs of mallards.