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Bird name:

Canvasback

Aythya valisineria

Order

ANSERIFORMES

Family

Geese and Ducks (Anatidae)

Code 4

CANV

Code 6

AYTVAL

ITIS

175129

Breeding Location:

Marshes, freshwater, Swamps

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Solitary nester

Breeding Population:

Common to uncommon

Egg Color:

Gray olive or green olive

Number of Eggs:

7 - 12

Incubation Days:

23 - 29

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Dead vegetation lined with down.

Migration:

Migratory

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General

Canvasback: Large, flashy diving duck with pale gray body and black breast and tail. Head is red-brown with long, sloping profile and long, dark bill. Female has gray breast and brown head. Juvenile resembles female; eclipse male resembles breedng male but is duller.

Range and Habitat

Canvasback: Breeds from Alaska south and east to Nebraska and Minnesota. Spends winters in coastal regions and interior west from British Columbia south and east from Massachusetts south to the Gulf coast and in Mississippi Valley. Nests on marshes; winters on lakes, bays, and estuaries.

Breeding and Nesting

Canvasback: Seven to twelve gray olive or green olive eggs are laid in a floating nest made of reeds and grass anchored to stems of marsh plants. Incubation ranges from 23 to 29 days and is carried out by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Canvasback: Feeds on aquatic vegetation, particularly wild celery, and mollusks. Forages in open water by diving from the surface; feeds by day or night.

Vocalization

Canvasback: Male grunts or croaks. Female makes a soft quack.

Similar Species

Canvasback: Redhead is smaller and lacks sloping profile; males have grayer sides.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America