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Habitat Use And Movements Of Feral Mallards (Anas Platyrhynchos) And Invasive Muscovy Ducks (Cairina Moschata) In Tampa, Florida, Joni Downs, Mehrdad Vaziri, Lucy Deba Enomah, Zachary J. Smith

Florida Field Naturalist

Feral Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and invasive Muscovy Ducks (Cairina moschata) are common waterfowl in urban areas in many parts of the world, though relatively little is known about their habits and movements. This study quantified the fine-scale movements and habitat-use patterns of feral Mallards and Muscovy Ducks in an urban area of Tampa, Florida, from hour-long observational and tracking data. Mallards spent more time in water than Muscovy Ducks (41.0% vs. 9.1%), less time in grass (2.8% vs. 21.5%), and less time in urban areas (0.5% vs. 8.0%). Times spent by Mallards and Muscovy Ducks in …