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Mortality During the Breeding Season

Table 12-5. Some Mortality Rates of Prefledged Ducks in North America and Principal Causes of Mortality

   
Mortality ratesa
  
Species
Habitat
Location
1st 2 weeksb
To fledgingc
Mortality causesd
Source
North American
    Wood Duck		Riverine
 
Woodland impoundments
Impoundment
River bottomland
Forest impoundment

Forest lakes/ponds		 Mass.
 
Md.
Mich.
Alaska
N.Y.

Minn.
 
0.44 (0.36 - 0.47)
-e
 
 

0.51		 0.54 (0.47 - 0.58)
 
0.47 (0.41-0.50)
0.44, 0.48
0.48, 0.33
0.35, 0.35

0.59
u, p
 
u
u
u
u

u
 Grice and Rogers (1965)
 
McGilvrey (1969)
Baker (1970)
Brown (1972)
Haramis and Thompson (1984)
Ball et al. (1975)
Gadwall/Northern
    Pintail		Prairie impoundmentsAlb.0.530.73
u, p
Duncan (1986)
MallardPrairie ponds
Forest ponds
Prairie ponds
 
Prairie ponds
 
Prairie lake		 Sask.
Minn.
N. Dak.
 
N. Dak.
 
Mont.		 0.52 (0.35-0.65)f
0.39
0.44
 
0.26 (0.13-0.33)f
 
0.33
0.52		 0.72 (0.27-0.61)
0.56
0.56, 0.44
0.65
 
 
0.37
0.61
u
u
 
p
u, p
 
 
u, p
 Dzubin and Gollop (1972)
Ball et al. (1975)
 
Talent et al. (1983)
Cowardin et al. (1985)
 
 
Orthmeyer (1987)
Black DuckEstuary
 
Forest ponds		 Que.
 
Maine		 0.36
 
0.39		 0.45
0.66 (0.60-0.75)
0.19
0.58
 
u, p, w
 
u
 
  
Reed (1975a)
 
Ringleman and Longcore (1982)
CanvasbackPrairie pondsMan.0.16 (0.03-0.29)g0.21(0.06-0.31)g
u
Stoudt (1982)
RedheadFarmland lakeQue. 0.51(0.48-0.52)g
u, w, p
Alliston (1979)
Ring-necked
    Duck		Forest pondsMaine0.460.23
0.63
 
u, f
 
McAuley and Longcore (1988)
EiderCoastal islandN.S. 0.75
u, p, w
McAloney (1973)
aUnderlined rates pertain to losses of entire broods only; other rates pertain to losses of ducklings. Most values are averages presented in respective source; where data for 2 years were provided we present both values, but where data for 3 or more years were provided we present the summary value provided in source for all years combined and the range of annual variation. If no summary value was provided in source, we calculated an unweighted average.
bApproximate first 2 weeks after hatch, but length of period varies from 2 to 24 days after hatch.
cFor most species the duckling growth period represented is from hatch to about mid-Class III.
dMortality-agent codes are: f = food shortage, p = predation, u = undetermined, and w = weather. When more than one cause was considered significant, the codes are listed in order of importance presented or implied in source. Codes that are italicized are suggested from conclusions in source, but no quantitative data were presented.
eSeventy-four percent of the mortality occurred during the first 2 weeks after hatching.
fMortality period represented is from nest to arrival on water.
gDoes not include losses of entire broods.

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