Habitat Use and Productivity of Mottled Ducks on the Atchafalaya River Delta, Louisiana
We studied nesting habitat selection, nest density, and nest success of mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) on islands in the Atchafalaya River Delta, Louisiana, 1995-1996. Nesting mottled ducks preferred shrub-moderate habitats and avoided shrub-sparse and marsh habitats. Other habitats were neither preferred nor avoided. Nest densities using non-random plot sampling in 1995 and line-transect sampling in 1996 averaged 3.9 nests/ha and 1.3 nest/ha, respectively. Mayfield nest success estimates on individual islands ranged from 6.0% to 67.1%. The Atchafalaya River Delta is potentially one of the...
