Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-153). Description: xi, 153 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm.

Ruddy Ducks in the Chilcotin parklands of British Columbia nest in late June, July and early August, later than most other waterfowl species breeding in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. This thesis considers factors that may affect the timing of breeding in Ruddy Ducks by comparing Ruddy Ducks to Barrow's Goldeneye and Bufflehead (species that breed early but do not renest) and to American Coot (a species that breeds early and is able to renest). These factors include predation, flooding and desertion of nests, feeding behavior of ducklings, abundance of food, availability of green vegetation and fluctuations in temperature. Possible advantages of late breeding include reduced nest predation and higher ambient temperature during incubation. Longer dive durations and more frequent feeding and resting by Ruddy ducklings may enable ducklings to maximize energy for growth. Reduced nest flooding late in the season, dependence on green vegetation for nesting and greater abundance of food for young in summer were not demonstrated by this study. Therefore, these factors apparently do not explain the timing of breeding in Ruddy Ducks in southwestern British Columbia. Despite insufficient time to renest and shorter time for ducklings to mature before ponds freeze, the average number of 2B age class young produced per pair of Ruddy Ducks was similar to that of American Coots. Forty percent of nesting Ruddy females did not hatch any young, whereas almost all nesting Coot females successfully hatched young; however, survival of Ruddy ducklings to 2B age class (four weeks old) was higher than that of American Coots, Barrow's Goldeneye and Bufflehead. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

Female mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) exhibit diverse vocalizations. Duck hunters mimic these vocalizations using artificial calls made from hardwoods or plastics. Hardness of these calls and extent to which humans can mimic live mallards using an artificial call were unknown before this study. I compared hardness of 7 species of hardwoods and cast acrylic and found acrylic, cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), bocote (Cordia alliodora), osage orange (Maclura pomifera), and pecan (Carya sp.) were the hardest materials tested. I also compared acoustic metrics of field recordings of vocalizing female mallards to those of experienced duck callers using calls of these materials equipped with single or double reeds. I found that cocobolo, osage orange, pecan, acrylic, and bocote calls with double reeds were acoustically most similar to female mallards. I recommend that duck call manufacturers use acrylics and harder wood species with single or double reeds, recognizing that double reed calls generally performed superior in this study.

Waterfowl hunting is important historically, culturally, and economically in Mississippi and North America. I evaluated effect of hunting frequency (2 or 4 days/week) on duck abundance, harvest, and hunters’ perceived quality of their experience on Mississippi Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). Neither relative abundance nor harvest of all ducks, mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), northern shoveler (A. clypeata), or green-winged teal (A. crecca) differed between experimental hunting frequencies. Duck harvest increased with hours spent afield. Hunters’ perceived quality did not differ between hunting frequencies but was greatest when hunters harvested > 4 ducks/ day and increased with harvest of larger sized ducks. I suggest WMAs may be hunted 4 days/week without impacting duck abundance, harvest, or hunt quality. I recommend continued evaluations of hunting frequency on duck abundance, harvest, and hunt quality to sustain science-guided management of waterfowl hunting on Mississippi public lands.

Hunter satisfaction has received extensive attention in the literature, but the role of expectations on satisfaction has been neglected. Consumer satisfaction researchers often use the expectancy disconfirmation paradigm (i.e., differences between expectations and reality) to address relationships between expectations and satisfaction. I used this paradigm to examine the relationship between expectations and satisfaction for waterfowl hunters in Arkansas and Mississippi. I found hunter satisfaction was a partial function of fulfilled expectations in both studies. Performance-only measures generally correlated more strongly with overall satisfaction than disconfirmations measured by a difference score. Conversely, disconfirmation of expectations for a season measured on a single item scale, had the greatest relationship with overall satisfaction for a season. Knowledge of congruence between hunter expectations and outcomes offers managers an avenue to effectively focus management efforts to improve satisfaction levels.

No description available.

No description available.

Breeding habitat of Harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) was studied in eastern Prince William Sound, Alaska, during 1991 - 1993. Streams in Prince William Sound were surveyed for Harlequin ducks and monitored with mist nets. Physical characteristics of 24 Harlequin breeding streams were compared to those of 24 streams not used for breeding using 2 sample, principal components and logistic regression analyses. Nests were located using radio-telemetry of marked females. Harlequin ducks resident in eastern Prince William Sound selected the largest anadromous salmon streams available for nesting. Volume discharge of breeding streams averaged 3.2 m��/s and was the most important factor in habitat variation between streams used and not used by breeding Harlequins. Expansive estuaries and intertidal deltas present at the outflow of large streams were important foraging and loafing areas of Harlequin ducks. Although nesting females generally avoided smaller salmon streams their intertidal estuaries were often used for foraging by females and molting males. The largest streams in Prince William Sound, glacially fed rivers, were not used by breeding Harlequins. Ten nest sites of Harlequin ducks in eastern Prince William Sound were located on southwest facing, steeply sloping banks of small, first order tributaries near timberline elevation. Nests were associated with woody debris and shrubs, in shallow depressions or cavities, and were beneath the canopy of old growth forest. Microhabitat produced by a southwest aspect, snow shadow provided by the forest canopy, and sloping stream bank may provide nesting sites earlier in the spring compared to surrounding areas. / Graduation date: 1994

Problem. On the present time both Lithuania and EU market dominate pigs and cattle breeding. Consumer researches shows, that growing demand on high digestibility and nutrient, quick prepare animal products. On this way duck meat is very valuable product. Problem is that now dominate small farms, where traditionally growing few local, not very productive ducks. Like there is no real local market, so there is no well develop duck breeding. The subject of research. After good analyses of duck breeding and risk factors, to take measures of duck business development in Lithuania. Tasks: To estimate different duck species peculiarity and analyse duck meat quality depend to market demand; To estimate duck breeding technology and use in Lithuania farms; To estimate risk and possibility of duck business in Lithuania. Results. Consumer researches shows, that people prefer not fat, fragile, muscular duck meat. These features satisfy meat duck mularde females. From a technological viewpoint duck is insensitive to temperature, moisture, feed changes, so it’s possible to grow them both intensive and extensive farms. Technological, zoohigienic and economic duck growing research showed that the most promising duck breeding is like part business – on the summer time use empty animal husbandry buildings. At best is to grow heterozic hybrids. These precondition enable in Lithuania to create small duck farms, which sells fresh meat straight from the farm and secure flexible sells and... [to full text]

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.