Habitat selection by breeding black ducks (Anas rubripes) was studied in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia during April-September 1990 and 1991. / Black duck pairs selected deciduous shrub ponds and sparsely vegetated ponds and avoided estuarine marsh and large lake habitat. Hens with broods preferred the deciduous shrub habitat while they avoided large lakes. / Black duck pairs appeared to use the distance to a brood-rearing pond as a cue in site selection. The closer a pond was to a suitable rearing pond the more likely it was occupied by a pair, regardless of food or cover resource availability. Black ducks, however, likely used site attributes such as the perimeter of the pond, the availability of aquatic invertebrates and the relative abundance of alder, willow and dead timber as cues in the selection brood-rearing habitat. / Black duck duckling survival, an estimate of recruitment, was the highest on preferred deciduous shrub ponds. Duckling survival was also higher on ponds with only one brood as opposed to ponds with several broods. / The most productive habitat for black ducks in the Antigonish study area were isolated, deciduous shrub ponds influenced by beaver activity. Black duck population numbers can be enhanced by managing local beaver populations.

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