USFWS Estimates 12-Percent Decline in Breeding Ducks

Blue-winged teal bucked the trend with a 19-percent increase.

The first USFWS survey since 2019 estimated a 12-percent of migratory ducks on the traditional spring breeding grounds. At 34.2 million, the count was 4 percent below an average that goes back to 1955. The survey was not conducted in 2020 or 2021 due to Covid-19 concerns.