Body mass dynamics in wintering mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley

Veon, John T.; DeGregorio, Brett A.; Naylor, Luke W.; Reinecke, Kenneth J.; Dabbert, Brad; Demarest, Dean W.; Hartke, Kevin M.; Krementz, David G.

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02368

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…For instance, Delnicki and Reinecke (1986) found that mallards spending the non‐breeding season in the LMAV were heavier (i.e., better condition) during wetter years than drier years. Similarly, Veon et al (2023) found that mallards spending the non‐breeding season in the LMAV were heavier after periods of rainfall and river flooding, and like Delnicki and Reinecke (1986), mass increases were most likely the result of increased access to food resources. Heitmeyer and Fredrickson (1981) found that winter precipitation was also positively correlated with mallard productivity the following spring, indicating that mallards were arriving in a better condition to engage in breeding behaviors.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…We measured body mass (±1 g) using an electronic scale and wing length (±1 mm; measured from the notch of the bend of the wing to the end of the longest primary feather; Carney 1992). As described in Veon et al (2023), the amount of food in the esophagus was estimated according to 3 categories (none [0 g], small [0–20 g], or large [>20 g]) through palpation. We excluded individuals that contained more than 20 g of food in their esophagus.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Influences of landscape composition on hunter‐harvested mallard body mass and condition in eastern Arkansas

Veon,

Krementz,

Naylor

et al. 2023

J Wildl Manag

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Waterfowl with more body mass and a greater body condition during the non‐breeding season are thought to be more likely to survive and have increased productivity during the following breeding season. Body mass and body condition in waterfowl should reflect the resources available to them locally. We analyzed the relationship of landscape composition on mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) body mass and body condition (mass‐wing length index) among age and sex groups. We calculated these variables from hunter‐harvested mallards during the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 duck hunting seasons in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley of Arkansas, USA. We used linear mixed‐effects models to analyze changes in body mass and body condition with changes in the percent landscape composition of water cover, woody wetlands, herbaceous wetlands, rice, soybeans, and disturbance. We found that body mass and condition of harvested mallards were positively associated with greater proportions of water cover and woody wetlands but negatively associated with greater proportions of herbaceous wetlands and human disturbance from human infrastructure. Management actions focused on providing flooded and woody wetland areas on the landscape that allow waterfowl to access food resources, while decreasing the disturbance around wetlands in the form of road density and human infrastructure, should increase body mass and body condition in mallards spending the non‐breeding season in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influences of landscape composition on hunter‐harvested mallard body mass and condition in eastern Arkansas

Veon,

Krementz,

Naylor

et al. 2023

J Wildl Manag

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Body mass changes of dabbling and diving ducks wintering in California

Herzog,

Ackerman,

Kohl

et al. 2024

J Wildl Manag

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Bird body mass is often used as an index of body condition and fluctuates throughout the year in response to environmental conditions and avian life‐history events. We examined the body mass of 59,572 ducks representing 13 species (7 dabbling duck species and 6 diving duck species) harvested within the 3 regions of the Central Valley in California, USA (Sacramento Valley, Suisun Marsh, San Joaquin Valley). Data collection occurred in winter during 5 hunting seasons (2014–2015, 2015–2016, 2017–2018, 2018–2019, 2019–2020). For all species, age, and sex classes, the body mass of dabbling ducks varied temporally and was lowest at the end of the hunting season in late January, declining from the beginning of the hunting season in mid‐October (northern pintail [Anas acuta]: −11.4% to −20.4%; northern shoveler [Spatula clypeata]: −3.5% to −17.3%; cinnamon teal [Anas cyanoptera]: −5.0% to −17.1%; American wigeon [Mareca americana]: −6.9% to −12.2%; American green‐winged teal [Anas carolinensis]: −5.9% to −11.9%; mallard [Anas platyrhynchos]: −1.8% to −9.6%; gadwall [Mareca strepera]: −2.2% to −8.4%). As expected, adults (after hatch‐year) were heavier than immature (hatch‐year) birds (within males: 0.6–8.6%; within females: 0.1–6.6%) and males were heavier than females (within adults: 3.1–38.6%; within immatures: 5.4–33.5%) at the end of the hunting season in all species. Within dabbling duck species, body masses did not differ among regions at the beginning of the hunting season but were heavier in the Sacramento Valley (0.5–14.4%) than other areas by the end of the hunting season. In contrast, body masses of diving ducks did not vary substantially during the hunting season or among regions. Diving ducks demonstrated inconsistent changes in mass from the beginning to the end of the season (lesser scaup [Aythya affinis]: 3.4% to 12.3%; canvasback [Aythya valisineria]: 5.1% to 6.1%; bufflehead [Bucephala albeola]: −3.2% to 1.6%; ring‐necked duck [Aythya collaris]: −4.9% to 2.6%; common goldeneye [Bucephala clangula]: −3.2% to −2.4%; ruddy duck [Oxyura jamaicensis]: −16.5% to 5.5%). The substantial temporal and spatial differences in dabbling duck body masses suggest that habitat quality (as measured by caloric value of the available food) or quantity may decline during winter and varies regionally within California's Central Valley.

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An agent-based model to quantify energetics, movement and habitat selection of mid-continent mallards in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

Weller,

Webb,

Fogenburg

et al. 2023

Ecological Modelling

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Body mass dynamics in wintering mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley

Cited by 3 publications

References 56 publications

Influences of landscape composition on hunter‐harvested mallard body mass and condition in eastern Arkansas

Influences of landscape composition on hunter‐harvested mallard body mass and condition in eastern Arkansas

Body mass changes of dabbling and diving ducks wintering in California

An agent-based model to quantify energetics, movement and habitat selection of mid-continent mallards in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

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