Waterfowl foods of cultivated wild rice paddies in northwest Minnesota

Jay T. Huseby, Wayne P. Cymbaluk, Alan J. Melvie, W. Daniel Svedarsky, Richard D. Crawford

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

As wetlands are lost or altered, additional areas that provide waterfowl production and migratory habitat are increasingly important to continental waterfowl resources. Wild rice (Zizania palustris) is cultivated in diked paddies in Minnesota and this habitat is used by large numbers of migrant waterfowl. Our sample of six wild rice paddies contained 315.8 kg/ha (dry mass) seeds and/or tubers of wild rice, sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus), and arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) after harvest and fall cultivation. The availability of foods was influenced by method of cultivation, i.e., moldboard vs. chisel-plowed. The energy content of these food resources should provide 3,200 duck use days (DUD's) per hectare. Available food resources and the expansive, shallow, open water characteristic of wild rice paddies make these man-made wetlands attractive resting areas to migratory waterfowl.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1-8
Number of pages8
JournalPrairie Naturalist
Volume30
Issue number1
StatePublished - 1998

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