[Fact box]

Print

Click on plot to view table of mean abundance

Atlas Results

The American Black Duck remains an uncommon sight in Saskatchewan, with only four records during atlas years. The only indication of potential breeding was of a pair observed on 18 May 2019 near the St. Clair National Wildlife Area, although neither bird was seen again on a subsequent visit 12 days later. At Last Mountain Lake National Wildlife Area, a known breeding location, only two sightings of likely the same individual were made on 7 and 11 August 2018. Additionally, two individuals were reported flying over during a survey on 28 June near the Manitoba border south of Spy Hill.

Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.

Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:

Essentially a species of eastern North America, American Black Duck numbers have declined, possibly from a combination of hunting pressure, habitat loss, and competition and hybridization with Mallards (Longcore et al. 2000). The Black Duck breeds from southern Saskatchewan (rarely), northern Manitoba, northern Ontario, Quebec, and Labrador, south to northern South Dakota, northern Ohio, and south on the Atlantic coast to North Carolina. It winters from southeastern Minnesota through southern Ontario to southern Newfoundland, south to Texas and the northern portions of the Gulf coastal states.

The habitat preferences of the breeding American Black Duck are nearly identical to those of the Mallard. Moulting adult males are found on large marshes with emergent vegetation where they can hide during their flightless moult stage.

The Black Duck is an uncommon and local summer resident in southern Saskatchewan (Smith 1996). Thompson (1954) speculated that the Saskatchewan population might exceed 1,000 birds and that diligent searching might reveal breeding records. Palmer's (1976) alternate hypothesis was that there is little breeding in Saskatchewan; most birds seen in late summer or fall are adult drakes dispersing westward to moulting areas. Banding studies support Palmer's view, as fall birds are almost exclusively adult males. They are recorded only sporadically on late-May aerial surveys in northern Saskatchewan.

Original text by Robert G. Clark. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky

Read more about the American Black Duck in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.

LeeAnn M. Latremouille

Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. American Black Duck in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=ABDU&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]