GAP Analysis Predicted Distribution Map

Canvasback (Aythya valisineria)

Species Code: AYVA

Legend:
= Core Habitat
= Marginal Habitat

Breeding Range Map
The green area shows the predicted habitats for breeding only. The habitats were identified using 1991 satellite imagery, Breeding Bird Atlas (BBA), other datasets and experts throughout the state, as part of the Washington Gap Analysis Project. Habitats used during non-breeding months and migratory rest-stops were not mapped.

Metadata (Data about data or how the map was made)

Click to enlarge distribution map

Map with Breeding Bird Atlas records

Other maps & Information:

Breeding Bird Atlas
NatureMapping observations
during breeding season
NatureMapping observations
throughout the year

This species is uncommon in large ponds, lakes, and reservoirs at lower elevations in eastern Washington. They generally avoid small ponds with limited food supply and depth. They do not breed in western Washington but are occasionally found as summering birds in the Puget Trough. Specific locations in eastern Washington include Potholes Reservoir, Winchester Wasteway, Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, and Molson, Muskrat, and Osoyoos Lakes. They are not known to breed in the southern Columbia Basin, southeastern Washington, or the Palouse region. Confirmed nesting records within the last ten years are limited to Okanogan, Grant, and Spokane Counties.

Good habitat in the core areas of use included large freshwater bodies in eastern Washington in the Central Arid Steppe, Three-tip Sage, and Ponderosa Pine zones. However, habitat was limited to local areas where Canvasbacks have been confirmed as nesting. No habitat was modeled in western Washington.

The scattered nature of Canvasback breeding records indicates how limited their habitat is in Washington; this species generally nest farther north than our state. In the southernmost part of their breeding range, Canvasbacks face a shortage of suitable water bodies, plus brood parasitism and unspecific competition for food from Redheads. No records exist from Rock Lake; a lake with seemingly suitable habitat, but this species is considered a rare breeder in southeastern Washington. Canvasbacks are declining across the country as of this writing, so their range in Washington may also be shrinking.

Translated from the Washington Gap Analysis Bird Volume by Uchenna Bright
Text edited by Gussie Litwer
Webpage designed by Dave Lester