Habitat Suitability Index Models: Canvasback (breeding habitat)

Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) breed from Alaska south to Montana and the Dakotas, with the highest breeding densities found in the parklands of Southcentral Canada (Bellrose 1976). Canvasbacks nest over water in a variety of wetland habitats, including large marshes, ponds, sloughs, and potholes. Their preferred breeding habitat is shallow prairie marshes, bordered by cattail (~ spp.), bulrush (Scirpus spp.), and similar emergent vegetation (Johnsgard 1975).