Game Birds of the World

The canvasback is one of the most distinctive of all North American ducks, and the one most highly prized by hunters. It is the largest of the diving duck group called pochards, and both sexes have long, sloping bills that give them a regal appearance. The whitish gray (canvascolored) back and flank coloration of the male is also distinctive, and in winter plumage the female likewise has paler grayish sides and back than do any of the other pochard species. Limited to North America, this bird is most common on the tule- and cattail-lined prairie marshes of the northern plains, but locally extends its nesting distribution all the way to the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea. It is mostly vegetarian, with pondweeds, water lilies, and wild celery among its favorite freshwater foods. In winter it concentrates on estuaries where eelgrass and wigeon grass grow abundantly. On their breeding grounds the birds occupy rather large home ranges, with little or no territorial aggression evident between nearby pairs.

The female constructs its partly floating nest in dense beds of emergent vegetation. It needs stable-water habitats, along with nearby areas of open water for foraging and easy take-offs and landings, for successful breeding. Incubation of the 9–10 eggs requires 24–25 days, and fledging takes 60–70 days, during which time the female may begin her own molting period and abandon her young before they have fledged.