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February 16, 2007
ODNR TO MONITOR BLACK DUCKS IN STUDY OF POPULATION DECLINE
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COLUMBUS, OH - A radio tracking project to help solve the mystery of declining black duck populations in North America has been initiated by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
Three drake (male) black ducks at the Castalia Duck Pond were recently fitted with GPS transmitters, allowing their migratory and breeding habits to be monitored by wildlife biologists. At least two more black ducks will be fitted with transmitters this spring.
Biologists hope to identify key areas used by black ducks during their migration, and in wintering and breeding periods. Black ducks breed in the northeastern United States and Canada, wintering mainly along the Atlantic Coast.
The GPS transmitters, about the size of a matchbox car, provide accuracy to within 20 yards of each duck’s exact location. Biologists will overlay these positions with high-resolution aerial photographs to determine what types of habitats the birds are using throughout the year.
“While populations of most other North American waterfowl species have increased over the past several decades, the number of black ducks in Ohio and elsewhere continues to fall,” said Dave Sherman, biologists with the ODNR Division of Wildlife. “By tracking these black ducks as they travel and nest, we may be able to shed some light on the reasons for this decline. Is it due to changes in habitat, a shift in locations for breeding and wintering, or a change in migratory routes?”
The movements of the radio-tagged ducks can be followed on line at http://www.ohiodnr.com/wildlife/resources/blackduck/migration.htm. Information will be updated every two weeks through mid-March, then weekly from that point.
Black ducks closely resemble mallards in size and shape. Both female and male black ducks are almost identical in appearance.
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