Canvasback

The Canvasback is a large diving duck native to North America, breeding in prairie marshes and wintering on large lakes, reservoirs, and coastal bays, sometimes in enormous rafts of many thousands of birds.

In life, its most distinctive feature is a long, sloping forehead that runs smoothly into a long black bill, giving it a distinctive wedge-shaped head profile unlike any other diving duck in its range.

Breeding males show a deep chestnut-red head and neck, a black breast, and a body of pale, finely vermiculated grey-white feathers that give the species its name, evoking the pale color of canvas fabric.

Size and shape

• Large, dense contour feathers typical of a diving duck built for extended time on open water
• Broad wing feathers suited to a fast, direct flight style typical of diving ducks

Color and pattern

• Male head and neck feathers deep chestnut-red, with a black breast and black feathers around the tail
• Male back and flank feathers pale grey-white with very fine dark vermiculation, giving an overall pale, canvas-like appearance
• Female head and neck feathers a paler brownish tone, with a similarly pale grey-brown body, though duller than the male

Distinguishing from similar species

• Compare with Redhead: Canvasback's body feathers are notably paler, almost whitish, versus the Redhead's grey body; the Canvasback's head is also a deeper red
• The sloping forehead profile, visible on the living bird, is one of the best confirming clues alongside pale body feather tone

Breeding males show a deep chestnut-red head and neck, black breast and rear, and a pale, finely vermiculated grey-white back and flanks, with a long black bill. Females are similar in pattern but much paler and duller overall, with a soft brownish head and grey-brown body. Molt includes an eclipse phase in males, and, as in other diving ducks, a flightless period during wing molt, often undertaken at traditional large staging lakes.

Breeds in prairie pothole marshes of the northern United States and Canada, especially where dense stands of emergent vegetation provide cover. Winters on large lakes, reservoirs, and coastal bays across the United States and into Mexico, often gathering in large flocks on open water. It is strongly migratory.

A diving duck that feeds primarily on submerged aquatic vegetation, especially the tubers of wild celery and similar plants, along with some invertebrates, diving well below the surface to forage. Nests over water in dense marsh vegetation, weaving a well-concealed nest anchored to standing plants. Voice is generally quiet, with soft croaking or cooing notes. Its habit of forming very large wintering flocks on open water means found feathers are often associated with major lake or bay habitats rather than small ponds.