
Habitat
Breeds in small lakes, deep-water marshes, sheltered bays of large freshwater and alkali lakes , permanent and semi-permanent ponds, sloughs, potholes, and shallow river impoundments (Mowbray 2002) bordered by dense emergent vegetation or marshy areas (Campbell et al. 1990). In Yukon, nests in productive wetlands (Alexander et al. 2003) and a study in Manitoba indicated need for secure nesting site in a diversified wetland complex containing a variety of size, permanency, and cover types (Stoudt 1982).
References
Alexander, S. A., F. I. Doyle, C. D. Ecker, H. Grünberg, N. L. Hughes, M. Jensen, I. Johnson, D. H. Mossop, W. A. Nixon, and P. H. Sinclair. 2003. Birds of the Yukon Territory (P. H. Sinclair, W. A. Nixon, C. D. Eckert, and N. L. Hughes, eds.). UBC Press, Vancouver, B.C.
Campbell, R. W., N. K. Dawe, I. McTaggart-Cowan, J. M. Cooper, G. W. Kaiser, and M. C. E. McNall. 1990. The Birds of British Columbia. Vol. 1 and 2, Nonpasserines. UBC Press, Vancouver, B.C.
Mowbray, T. 2002. Canvasback (Aythya valisineria). In The Birds of North America, Vol. 17, No. 659 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.
Stoudt, J. H. 1982. Habitat use and productivity of canvasbacks in southwestern Manitoba, 1961-72. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv., Spec. Sci. Rep. No. 248. 31 pp.