Neotropical migrants are threatened because of loss of habitat. Tropical deforestation is destroying the habitat where these species migrate to over the winter. Unfortunately, such songbirds serve as a barometer for man's impact on this earth. Canvas Back Ducks Canvas Back Ducks are diving ducks that live together in large flocks. They winter in the coastal bays from Cape Cod to the Gulf, particularly the Chesapeake Bay.
Main food is submerged aquatic vegetation.
They have declined because of human encroachment and filling of potholes in their summer breeding area in the upper north and west US and Canadian pothole prairie area. In addition, the decline in submerged aquatic vegetation in the coastal Bays has diminished their food source. Overhunting may also have contributed. The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. All rights reserved.