Foraging by Mottled Ducks (Anas fulvigula) in a dry agriculture field during winter: a novel observation

On 9 December 2016, we observed 10 Mottled Ducks (Anas fulvigula) foraging in a harvested, dry cornfield in south Texas. Several North American waterfowl species in the genus Anas commonly feed in dry agricultural fields; however, this foraging strategy has not been documented in Mottled Ducks during winter prior to this observational account. As corn acreage increases in coastal Texas in conjunction with declining acreage of wetland habitats, Mottled Ducks may opportunistically forage in dry agricultural fields more frequently.