Although concern for the prairie duck has been primarily focused upon loss of habitat, depredation is another major crisis dabbling ducks nest success. NBS researchers have studied duck nests in prairie pothole areas of North and South Dakota that are managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Although both prey on nests, low numbers of coyotes may actually benefit ducks by excluding the more destructive red fox from large areas. Differences in territory size and hunting methods may be why foxes have a greater impact on nesting ducks. Because coyote territories are much larger than that of the fox, there are fewer mouths to feed for the same area.
Differences also exist in the extent to which coyotes and foxes damage a nest.
The NBS research study concluded that, in areas occupied by red foxes, only 17 percent of the duck nests survived. Alternatively, for the nest areas falling within territories occupied by coyotes, the rate of success was 32 percent. Humans are the predominant cause of coyote deaths in the prairie pothole region. This may be an effective approach to increasing duck nest success in both public and private lands. Since coyotes do prey on livestock and large game species, as well as other species of ground-nesting birds, open dialogue should take place before any action is taken.