Connecticut wildlife study seeks public help to gauge mallard ducks’ health and nest numbers

Connecticut wildlife biologists are looking for the general public’s assist in gauging the reproductive well being of mallard geese within the state.

Often known as the “greenhead” for the males’ emerald mantles, mallards are seemingly adaptable, however improvement and wetland loss over the previous 30 years, together with extra predators, may very well be affecting the birds, in response to a discover from the state Division of Power and Environmental Safety.

DEEP’s wildlife division is within the midst of a large-scale evaluation of mallards’ nesting success, brood motion and nest and habitat choice. The birds are nesting now by June and biologists search info from property house owners who discover the nests, usually a despair within the floor close to water. Residents who spot nests are requested to contact DEEP migratory fowl program head Min Huang at Min.huang@ct.gov.

Residents’ nest experiences will assist construct an even bigger research pattern dimension and result in higher inferences about how mallards are faring, Huang mentioned in an interview Thursday. The geese’ nesting habits haven’t been intently studied within the state, he mentioned.

The research additionally consists of 38 hens fitted with radio “backpacks,” which allow scientists to trace broods and the variety of ducklings that survive. Along with habitat loss, the geese are also below strain from a rise in mammals that eat them and their eggs, together with coyotes, foxes, skunks and bobcats.

Duck searching is allowed within the state in season, with a each day bag restrict of two, down from 4 a number of years in the past, however Huang mentioned searching just isn’t thought of a trigger within the birds’ decline.

Mallards, in response to DEEP, had been uncommon guests to Connecticut within the mid-1800s and weren’t recognized to nest within the state. Within the early 1900s, the discharge of captive-reared birds helped set up the geese as a nesting species within the state. Additionally occurring throughout this era was a pure vary growth from the mid-continent into the japanese a part of Canada and the U.S. By the Nineteen Thirties, the mallard was breeding in native areas and the inhabitants in Connecticut steadily elevated.

Mallards have an unlimited breeding vary, from Alaska and Greenland south to Virginia and northern Texas. In Connecticut, mallard courtship and mating happens by late winter, with nest constructing in April. The male or “drake” has a shiny, inexperienced head and white neck-ring. It has a yellow invoice, rusty breast, and white tail. The feminine is mottled brown and has an orange-yellow invoice and a whitish tail. Each have orange toes and a blue patch on their wings framed with a white bar on both sides.

Jesse Leavenworth could be reached at jleavenworth@courant.com