The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reports it has completed its 2024 waterfowl breeding population survey. The resulting data indicate that the overall number of breeding ducks has decreased by 25%, while mallards, the most abundant duck in the survey, decreased 12%.
“Despite another good water year, the lack of adequate nesting habitat, particularly in the Central Valley, continues to restrict waterfowl population growth in California,” said CDFW Waterfowl Program biologist Melanie Weaver.
The complete 2024 California Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey Report is available on the CDFW website.
The total number of ducks of all species decreased from 495,438 in 2023 to 373,864 this year. This number is 30% below the long-term average. The estimated breeding population of mallards decreased from 202,108 in 2023 to 177,828 this year. This number is below the species’s long-term average as well. The declines are largely attributed to the loss of nesting habitat for ducks. Additionally, recent drought conditions likely have exacerbated these declines.
CDFW biologists and warden pilots have conducted this survey annually using fixed-wing aircraft since 1948. The population estimates are calculated for those areas where the vast majority of waterfowl nesting occurs in California, including wetland and agricultural areas in northeastern California, the Central Valley, the Suisun marsh and some coastal valleys.
The majority of California’s wintering duck population originates from breeding areas surveyed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska and Canada. CDFW survey information, along with similar data from other Pacific Flyway states, is used by the USFWS and the Pacific Flyway Council when setting hunting regulations for the Pacific Flyway states, including California.
Information provided by California Department of Fish and Wildlife
