American Black Duck
American Black Duck has collapsed: down 96% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
About the American Black Duck
The American Black Duck (Anas rubripes) is a North American member of the Ducks, Geese & Waterfowl (Anatidae). In this analysis it is grouped with the waterfowl.
- Size
- 12–43.5 in long (30–110 cm) — a medium to large waterfowl (typical for the family)
- Habitat
- Lakes, ponds, rivers, marshes and sheltered coastal waters.
- Diet
- Aquatic plants, seeds and invertebrates, dabbled at the surface or dived for.
- Range
- Recorded on 355 Breeding Bird Survey routes across 21 states, most concentrated in the Atlantic Northern Forest.
- Family
- Anatidae · Waterfowl
Notable American Black Duck Trends
American Black Duck has collapsed in surveyed states: down 96% on the route-weighted index since 1968.
American Black Duck Population Forecast
If the recent trend holds, American Black Duck is projected to stay roughly flat through 2029, near 0.00 (95% range 0.00–0.04). A 5-year backtest shows a typical error of ±508.2%, with 100% of held-out values landing inside the 95% band.
| Year | Projected index | 95% low | 95% high |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| 2026 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| 2027 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| 2028 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| 2029 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.04 |
Where the American Black Duck Is Detected
BBS routes recording American Black Duck, sized by most recent count.
American Black Duck Population Trend by State
| Alabama | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Connecticut | -88% | 1969 | 11 |
| Delaware | +45% | 1969 | 9 |
| Indiana | insufficient data | n/a | 1 |
| Maine | -88% | 1968 | 56 |
| Maryland | -48% | 1968 | 22 |
| Massachusetts | -93% | 1968 | 21 |
| Michigan | -56% | 1971 | 27 |
| Minnesota | insufficient data | n/a | 10 |
| New Hampshire | -89% | 1968 | 23 |
| New Jersey | -81% | 1968 | 19 |
| New York | -95% | 1968 | 63 |
| North Carolina | -91% | 1975 | 3 |
| North Dakota | insufficient data | n/a | 9 |
| Ohio | insufficient data | n/a | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | -75% | 1968 | 22 |
| Rhode Island | +57% | 1970 | 3 |
| Vermont | -87% | 1968 | 20 |
| Virginia | -21% | 1992 | 6 |
| West Virginia | insufficient data | n/a | 2 |
| Wisconsin | -77% | 1968 | 22 |
American Black Duck Population Trend by Region
Bird Conservation Regions are the ecological unit for trends.
| Prairie Potholes | +10% | 1989 | 10 |
| Boreal Hardwood Transition | -90% | 1968 | 34 |
| Lower Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Plain | -92% | 1968 | 42 |
| Atlantic Northern Forest | -93% | 1968 | 112 |
| Prairie Hardwood Transition | -10% | 1970 | 26 |
| Southeastern Coastal Plain | -85% | 1975 | 4 |
| Appalachian Mountains | -91% | 1968 | 29 |
| New England / Mid-Atlantic Coast | -79% | 1968 | 86 |
American Black Duck Conservation Status
Our route-weighted index shows it down about 96% since 1968.
Source: USGS North American Breeding Bird Survey, retrieved 2026-05-22. Trend is a route-weighted relative-abundance index, not an absolute population.