Impact of Fluctuating Water Levels on Feeding Ecology of Breeding Blue-Winged Teal

Abstract
Foods consumed by breeding blue-winged teal (Anas discors) before and after a hydrological change are compared on a study area located in the glaciated prairie pothole region of southcentral North Dakota [USA]. Food selection shifted from a diet high in snails consumed on seasonal wetlands to one dominated by midge larvae consumed on semi-permanent lakes entering a drawdown phase. Total invertebrate contribution to the diet was similar for the 2 periods and varied from 89% (1967-71) to 97% (1973). Animal foods dominated the diet of laying females accounting for 99% by volume, of which snails comprised 38%, Crustacea 14% and insects 44%.

This publication has 1 reference indexed in Scilit: