Scientists at the USGS Alaska Science Center have conducted research on waterfowl species (ducks, geese, and swans) in Alaska since the 1970s. Because Alaska is an international crossroads of migratory bird flyways, with millions of birds from Asia and North America breeding in Alaska each summer, USGS research has also taken place in adjacent countries (Russia, Japan, Canada, Mexico) and in the lower 48-states and Hawaii.
Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems
The main objectives of the USGS Alaska Science Center waterfowl research program are to:
- Identify and fill gaps in our knowledge about the ecology of waterfowl species in Alaska
- Quantify the drivers of population trends of waterfowl populations in Alaska and throughout their annual cycle
- Provide science information to Department of Interior management agencies and others for decision making regarding waterfowl disease, population delineation, and species of conservation concern
Waterfowl Research by Species

Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Changing Arctic ecosystems: sea ice decline, permafrost thaw, and benefits for geese
Survival of surf scoters and white-winged scoters during remigial molt
Historical and contemporary imagery to assess ecosystem change on the Arctic coastal plain of northern Alaska
Prevalence, transmission, and genetic diversity of blood parasites infecting tundra-nesting geese in Alaska
Multi-trophic resilience of boreal lake ecosystems to forest fires
Genomic characterization of H14 subtype influenza A viruses in New World waterfowl and experimental infectivity in mallards Anas platyrhynchos
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Scientists at the USGS Alaska Science Center have conducted research on waterfowl species (ducks, geese, and swans) in Alaska since the 1970s. Because Alaska is an international crossroads of migratory bird flyways, with millions of birds from Asia and North America breeding in Alaska each summer, USGS research has also taken place in adjacent countries (Russia, Japan, Canada, Mexico) and in the lower 48-states and Hawaii.
Return to Ecosystems >> Terrestrial Ecosystems
The main objectives of the USGS Alaska Science Center waterfowl research program are to:
- Identify and fill gaps in our knowledge about the ecology of waterfowl species in Alaska
- Quantify the drivers of population trends of waterfowl populations in Alaska and throughout their annual cycle
- Provide science information to Department of Interior management agencies and others for decision making regarding waterfowl disease, population delineation, and species of conservation concern
Waterfowl Research by Species

Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Changing Arctic ecosystems: sea ice decline, permafrost thaw, and benefits for geese
Survival of surf scoters and white-winged scoters during remigial molt
Historical and contemporary imagery to assess ecosystem change on the Arctic coastal plain of northern Alaska
Prevalence, transmission, and genetic diversity of blood parasites infecting tundra-nesting geese in Alaska
Multi-trophic resilience of boreal lake ecosystems to forest fires
Genomic characterization of H14 subtype influenza A viruses in New World waterfowl and experimental infectivity in mallards Anas platyrhynchos
Below are news stories associated with this project.