Wetland Availability and Use by Breeding Waterfowl in Southern Ontario

• Published in: The Journal of wildlife management Vol. 59; no. 3; pp. 527 - 532
• Main Authors: Merendino, M. Todd, McCullough, Gary B., North, Norm R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD The Wildlife Society 01-07-1995; Wildlife Society; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal reproduction; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Aquatic habitats; Autoecology; Aves; Biological and medical sciences; Birds; Breeding; Breeding sites; Ducks; Forest habitats; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Habitat selection; Habitat utilization; Ponds; Potholes; Swamps; Vertebrata; Waterfowl; Wetlands; Wildlife management; Canada; North America; Ontario; America; Canada, Ontario; Vertebrata; Game; Spatial distribution; Habitat suitability; Habitat; Habitat selection; Aves; Anatidae; Wetland
• ISSN: 0022-541X; 1937-2817
• DOI: 10.2307/3802459

Studies have documented breeding waterfowl use of habitat in the Prairie Pothole Region; however, the difficulty in surveying forested areas has inhibited large scale studies of use of habitat in eastern Canada. We examined waterfowl use of 15 wetland habitats in 132,000 km2of southern Ontario, Canada. We obtained data from plots that were surveyed by the Canadian Wildlife Service during 1981 and 1987. Open water lakes accounted for 47% of available habitat in the study area; however, they were avoided (P < 0.001) by blue-winged teal (Anas discors), mallards (A. platyrhynchos), and wood ducks (Aix sponsa). Beaver (Castor canadensis) ponds accounted for 25% of the wetland area and were preferred (P < 0.001) by wood ducks and were used by mallards, black ducks (A. rubripes), blue-winged teal, and ring-necked ducks (Aythya collaris). Other habitats composed 0-6% of available wetlands and accounted for 0-10% of waterfowl use on study plots in southern Ontario. The percentage of wetlands occupied by breeding waterfowl varied from 11% for bogs and seasonal basins to 50% for deciduous swamps. The more common breeding species in southern Ontario (mallard, wood duck, blue-winged teal) exploited many habitats. Management efforts should focus on emergent or wooded habitats, especially beaver ponds, that provide habitat for many breeding waterfowl.