Canvasback
Aythya valisineria
Habitat
Aquatic
Diet
PlantSeed
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
1.2 kg
About This Species
Look for this diving duck on large open lakes, reservoirs, and coastal bays in North America, where its long, sloping black bill and rusty-red head and neck stand out among rafts of other waterfowl. It dives well below the surface to pull up aquatic tubers and other vegetation, and large wintering flocks form on favored deepwater sites from late fall through winter. A scope from shore is often more productive than trying to approach the water's edge, since flocks typically sit well offshore.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- View wintering rafts from a distance with binoculars or a scope rather than walking the shoreline toward them, since large flushes waste energy the birds need for winter survival.
- It is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States and under equivalent migratory bird agreements in Canada, so intentionally flushing or harassing flocks is not just disruptive but against the law in parts of its range.
- Keep boats and foot traffic well back from dense concentrations, especially in cold weather.
LCAvesAnseriformesAnatidae
Seasonal Activity
942,426 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Anseriformes
- Family
- Anatidae
Traits
- Diet
- PlantSeed
- Foraging
- Aquatic
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 1.2 kg
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.