Interactive Band Recovery Maps

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC), in cooperation with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), has developed an interactive map system to show you the migration of ducks from Canada to the United States.

By banding birds, scientists can study their movements. This map system can show you where birds banded in Canada have been recovered all over North America, based on data gathered from 1986 and 2003. Please note that this system shows the number of birds recovered and their origins, and is not necessarily representative of actual population ratios.

DUC works in partnership with many different groups and organizations that band birds to learn more about them. DUC is a science-based conservation organization. Part of our science-based approach includes doing research to better understand the waterfowl we work to conserve. Through this knowledge and understanding, DUC can target conservation programs to habitats that are most important for waterfowl.

Banding birds and ducks lets scientists track their movements. This allows them to study the birds’ movement, behaviour, survival rate, reproductive success, population growth and more. Knowing more about waterfowl helps us improve our conservation programs.

The system allows you to choose a province or state and find out where all the banded birds recovered in that area originated within Canada. To select a province or state, simply choose one under the “Select a Recovery Region” drop menu at the top right-hand side. There are three drop menus—one for Canada, one for the U.S. and one for Mexico.

Not only will the maps show you where the birds originated, but it will also provide statistics on the different species, the percentages from different provinces, and more!

Are you ready? Follow the ducks’ journey with our migration maps. This system is best viewed with Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. Download time may be slow through dial-up Internet access.