Autumn migration of of Mississippi Flyway mallards as determined by satellite telemetry

Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management
By: , and 

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Abstract

We used satellite telemetry to study autumn migration timing, routes, stopover duration, and final destinations of mallardsAnas platyrhynchos captured the previous spring in Arkansas from 2004 to 2007. Of those mallards that still had functioning transmitters on September 15 (n  =  55), the average date when autumn migration began was October 23 (SE  =  2.62 d; range  =  September 17–December 7). For those mallards that stopped for >1 d during migration, the average stopover length was 15.4 d (SE  =  1.47 d). Ten mallards migrated nonstop to wintering sites. The eastern Dakotas were a heavily utilized stopover area. The total distance migrated per mallard averaged 1,407 km (SE  =  89.55 km; range  =  142–2,947 km). The average time spent on migration per individual between September 15 and December 15 was 27 d (SE  =  2.88 d; range  =  2–84 d). The state where most mallards were located on December 15 was Missouri (11) followed by Arkansas (8), while 5 mallards were still in Canada, and only 8 of 43 females and 0 of 10 males were present in Arkansas. The eastern Dakotas are a heavily utilized migration stopover for midcontinent mallards that may require more attention for migration habitat management. The reasons for so few mallards, especially male mallards, returning to Arkansas the following year deserves further research..

Study Area

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Autumn migration of of Mississippi Flyway mallards as determined by satellite telemetry
Series title Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management
DOI 10.3996/022012-JFWM-019
Volume 3
Issue 2
Year Published 2012
Language English
Publisher Scientific Journals
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Atlanta
Description 14 p.
First page 238
Last page 251
Country United States
State Arkansas
Other Geospatial Mississippi Alluvial Valley
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
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