(Photo credit Lynn Burkhead)
July 02, 2014
By U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
The preliminary estimate for the total duck population is 49.2 million birds, an 8 percent increase over last year's estimate of 45.6 million birds, and 43 percent above the long-term average.
The report provides abundance estimates for individual duck species, including the following:
• Estimated mallard abundance is 10.9 million birds, similar to last year's estimate of 10.4 million birds and 42 percent above the long-term average.
• Blue-winged teal estimated abundance is 8.5 million, which is 10 percent above the 2013 estimate of 7.7 million, and 75 percent above the long-term average.
• The northern pintail estimate of 3.2 million was similar to last...