Closely related to the better-known Mallard, the American Black Duck is among the largest of North American ducks. The Black Duck can be found in just about any type of aquatic habitat within its range, so long as adequate cover is present; it is a very wary bird. Like the Mallard, it is a popular game bird. Susceptibility to over-hunting, among other pressures, resulted in a continual population decline over the past century. Accordingly, the Black Duck is a species of concern, and has been identified as such on Audubon's 2002 WatchList of North American birds. Its WatchList status is "Yellow," meaning the species is considered to be in slow decline.

As the name suggests, the American Black Duck's world distribution is limited to North America. Its breeding area is primarily in the northeast, with the greatest concentration of birds between New England and Nova Scotia. From there, it breeds across Ontario and Quebec, and even as far north as the Hudson Bay in Manitoba. Introduced populations have been established in small pockets of the northwest. Most Black Ducks winter along the Atlantic coast as far south as Florida, but also west to the Mississippi and points between.

Population trends have been a matter of concern in recent decades. By the mid 1900s, conservationists recognized that American Black Duck numbers were declining. Over-hunting, combined with habitat loss, in the forms of deforested interior lands and drained coastal areas, resulted in a continually decreasing population over several decades. These twin challenges continued to exact a heavy toll on the species well into the 1980s, when the introduction of far more restrictive hunting regulations finally curbed the rapid decline. American Black Duck numbers appear to have stabilized in recent years, though it remains a species of concern. To further complicate its plight, Black Ducks are yielding to competition with Mallards at both breeding and wintering sites; the two species are closely related and share similar habitats. Hybridization between the two species is fairly common.

 

Regulated hunting practices have helped stem the severe decline of American Black Duck numbers that took place over the past century; however, current numbers are thought to be only half of what they were historically. Careful monitoring will be crucial to future decisions regarding the hunting of this popular game bird. Another major cause of the species' recent decline is the fact that Black Ducks are highly prone to hybridization with Mallards. In recent decades the Mallard has expanded its range into the northeastern portions of North America--the heart of Black Duck territory. This influx of Mallards, the genetically dominant and far more numerous species, has resulted in the swamping of the Black Duck gene pool. At inland breeding sites, Black Ducks generally lose habitat to Mallards in areas that become deforested or otherwise developed for human use. On the coastal wintering grounds, the Black Duck's traditional refuge from the Mallard has been vast areas of saltwater marshland. As these areas are lost to development, Black Ducks are forced to take refuge in less protected freshwater impoundments. The preservation of coastal saltwater marshland is vital to the preservation of Black Ducks.

Remain aware of local, regional, and federal land management decisions, particularly those that affect our forests and wetlands.

 

Ask your legislators to support wise land management initiatives, such as wetland preservation and restoration.

 

The Black Duck Joint Venture (BDJV) is an initiative of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan. Goals of the BDJV are to monitor and research the species, and to form suitable conservation and management policies. More information can be found at the BDJV website: www.qc.ec.gc.ca/Faune/sauvagine/html/historic.html

 

Ducks Unlimited maintains important information on many current issues affecting North American waterfowl: www.ducks.org/conservation

 

Kortright, Francis H. 1943. The Ducks, Geese and Swans of North America. The American Wildlife Institute, Washington D.C.

 

Longcore, J. R., D. G. McAuley, G. R. Hepp, and J. M. Rhymer. 2000. American Black Duck (Anas rubripes). In The Birds of North America, No. 481 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.

 

Longcore, J. R., and Clugston, D. A. "American Black Duck". U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. April 2006.

 

Lepage, C. and D. Bordage. 2003. Black Duck Joint Venture (BDJV) Web site: http://www.qc.ec.gc.ca/faune/sauvagine/html/bdjv.html  Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Québec Region.