Redhead duck behavior on lower Laguna Madre and adjacent ponds of southern Texas
Southwestern Naturalist
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Abstract
Behavior of redheads (Aythya americana) during winter was studied on the hypersaline lower Laguna Madre and adjacent freshwater to brackish water ponds of southern Texas. On Laguna Madre, feeding (46%) and sleeping (37%) were the most common behaviors. Redheads fed more during early morning (64%) than during the rest of the day (40%); feeding activity was negatively correlated with temperature. Redheads fed more often by dipping (58%) than by tipping (25%), diving (16%), or gleaning (0.1%). Water depth was least where they fed by dipping (16 cm), greatest where diving (75 cm), and intermediate where tipping (26 cm). Feeding sequences averaged 5.3 s for dipping, 8.1 s for tipping, and 19.2 s for diving. Redheads usually were present on freshwater to brackish water ponds adjacent to Laguna Madre only during daylight hours, and use of those areas declined as winter progressed. Sleeping (75%) was the most frequent behavior at ponds, followed by preening (10%), swimming (10%), and feeding (0.4%). Because redheads fed almost exclusively on shoalgrass while dipping and tipping in shallow water and shoalgrass meadows have declined in the lower Laguna Madre, proper management of the remaining shoalgrass habitat is necessary to ensure that this area remains the major wintering area for redheads.
Suggested Citation
Mitchell, C.A., Custer, T., Zwank, P., 1992, Redhead duck behavior on lower Laguna Madre and adjacent ponds of southern Texas: Southwestern Naturalist, v. 37, no. 1, p. 65-72.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Redhead duck behavior on lower Laguna Madre and adjacent ponds of southern Texas |
| Series title | Southwestern Naturalist |
| Volume | 37 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 1992 |
| Language | English |
| Contributing office(s) | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |
| Description | 65-72 |
| Larger Work Type | Article |
| Larger Work Subtype | Journal Article |
| Larger Work Title | Southwestern Naturalist |
| First page | 65 |
| Last page | 72 |