Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 18.9–22 in
48–56 cm - Wingspan
- 31.1–35 in
79–89 cm - Weight
- 30.4–56 oz
862–1588 g
Other Names
- Morillon à dos blanc (French)
- Pato coacoxtle (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The species name of the Canvasback, Aythya valisineria, comes from Vallisneria americana, or wild celery, whose winter buds and rhizomes are its preferred food during the nonbreeding period.
Habitat
Lake/Pond
Food
Plants
Seeds, buds, leaves, tubers, roots, snails, and insect larvae.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 5–11 eggs
- Egg Description
- Greenish drab.
- Condition at Hatching
- Covered in down and able to leave the nest soon after hatching.
Nest Placement
Floating
Behavior
Surface Dive
Conservation
Least Concern
Populations have fluctuated widely. Low levels in 1980s put the Canvasback on lists of special concern, but numbers increased greatly in the 1990s.
Credits
- Mowbray, T. B. 2002. Canvasback (Aythya valisineria). In The Birds of North America, No. 659 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.