"Waterfowl" is a collective term that refers to ducks, geese, and swans. Throughout North America, the most common waterfowl in urban and suburban areas are mallard ducks and Canada geese. Both of these species are highly adaptable, and often gather in large numbers in city parks and on freshwater beaches.

Although mallards and Canada geese are migratory, large flocks remain throughout the year in the relatively mild climate of the Pacific Northwest because they can find food and shelter in every season.

In breeding plumage, male mallards are distinguished by their green heads, white neckband, chestnut breast, and black, upcurled tail. For a few weeks each summer, males acquire the mottled brown plumage that characterizes the females all year. Mallards are dabbling ducks, which means that they feed by tipping up in the water and reaching below the surface to find seeds, sedges, pondweed, and occasional aquatic insects, fish eggs, and mollusks. They also feed on land where they eat grass and weed seeds.

Mallards build their down-lined nests of leaves and grasses at the edges of sloughs, lakes, or marshes. Females incubate eight to ten eggs which hatch in about twenty six days. Immediately after hatching, ducklings are led by their mother to water. They first fly about two months after hatching. Mallards are genetically capable of cross-breeding with other species of ducks and often produce hybrids.

Canada geese are widely distributed across North America with at least eleven different subspecies found in different ranges. Males and females are alike in color pattern, but the male is somewhat larger. Like dabbling ducks, geese reach below the surface of water to find tubers, roots, leaves, and eelgrass. They are also grazers, and on land they eat grasses, bulrushes, clover, and other plants. In the fall, they are frequently seen in stubble fields of agricultural areas where they pick up waste grain and corn.

Unlike most other birds, geese form and maintain family units, with mating pairs that bond for life, and platforms near water. With the male standing guard nearby, the female incubates five to six eggs for about one month. Goslings follow their parents into water within a day of hatching, and they fly from 63 to 86 days later.

Because they feed on land as well as water, mallards and Canada geese are frequently blamed for trampling lawns and for polluting water and grass with accumulated feces. They find abundant sources of food and shelter in parks and along lakes and ponds. They frequently stay in one place for long periods of time. Habitat modification can encourage waterfowl to disperse.

Do not feed ducks and geese. Supplemental feeding attracts large flocks of waterfowl and promotes their dependence on handouts which do not provide proper nutrition for the birds. When dumped in quantity, uneaten food such as bread and chips compromise water quality and can promote a bacterial infection in animals. When left to feed on their own, waterfowl consume and help control aquatic plants such as millefoil and algae.

If ducks and geese congregate in an area that is small enough to be enclosed, they can be excluded with plastic netting or chicken wire fencing. Waterfowl are attracted to large expanses of lawn, especially when near water, but will be deterred by landscape barriers of shrubs, hedges, or tightly planted groves of trees, especially if these break up the line of flight between such lawn and the adjoining water.

To scare waterfowl away from a specific area, place several poles with 2 X 3' plastic flags that have been split down the center. Eyespot balloons and bird-scare tape are available through catalogues and at garden and hardware stores. These should be suspended so that they can move freely in the breeze.

Waterfowl are also sensitive to noise, and there are a variety of automatic noisemaking devices on the market. It is best to use a combination of as many means as possible to frighten birds at the first signs of activity.

Return to Wildlife Fact Sheets.