TWENTY-FIVE years ago the waterfowl
population of North America
had dropped to such a low point
that management of this resource became
an important concern of both state and
federal wildlife agencies. As a basis for an
effective, long-time program of management
for the waterfowl of the Mississippi
Flyway, detailed information about the
diet of ducks that migrate through Illinois
was considered essential.
More than 30 years of drainage, siltation,
and pollution had materially reduced
the extent and quality of the Illinois feeding
grounds that waterfowl had used for
centuries. Fortunately for some species of
ducks, in the 1930's, mechanical corn pickers
came into widespread use in the state.
Mechanical picking left more waste corn
in the fields and made it more easily available
than did picking by hand. Mallards
and black ducks were quick to take advantage
of the new food supply.
Previous to 1938, only a small amount
of research had been done on the food
habits of ducks using Illinois as a stopover
on their migration flights. An analysis of
the contents of 185 duck gizzards collected
in Illinois had been made by Martin &
Uhler (1939:5), and a study of the contents
of 79 duck gizzards collected from
the Starved Rock Pool near Ottawa and
the Duck Island area near Banner, Illinois,
had been made by Bellrose (1938).
The need for more data on the food habits
of waterfowl in Illinois resulted in the investigation herein reported.
Publisher
Champaign : Illinois Natural History Survey
Series/Report Name or Number
Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin; v. 027, no. 04
ISSN
0073-4918
Type of Resource
text
Language
en
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/44087
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