Waterfowl Hotspots

In Chapter 9 of this book, there is a section called Major Waterfowl Habitats in North America. He noted the most important hotspots and provided a map:

1. Prairie Pothole Region
2. Central Valley of California
3. Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta
4. Middle-Upper Atlantic Coast
5. Lower Mississippi River Delta
6. Izembek Lagoon
7. Upper Missssippi River and the Northern Lakes
8. Northern Great Plains
9. Yukon Flats
10. The Great Basin
11. Teshelpuk Lake
12. Middle-Upper Pacific Coast
13. Klamath Basin
14. Upper Alaska Peninsula
15. Copper River Delta
16. West-Central Gulf Coast
17. Upper Cook Inlet
18. San Francisco Bay
19. Northeastern United States-Southerneastern Canada
20. Sandhills and Rainwater Basin
21. Playa Lakes

He stated that it was very difficult to include all of the important waterfowl spots since waterfowl migrate and therefore have various areas: wintering grounds, staging areas, molting areas as well as breeding areas, makes it difficult to say the critically important areas. However, he noted that there was some other important habitat types that waterfowl are associated with: 

• Beaver ponds - they create wetlands that are desired by waterfowl. Typically waterfowl associated with forests really benefit from these areas because they can still be in the forest with a wetland near by.
• Sewage Lagoon - Areas like the Arcata Marsh provide invertebrates  these man-made structures allow for an advantage since they are in urban areas and therefore can be managed easier.
• Stock ponds, dugouts and farm ponds - These are usually located in grasslands and are created for livestock grazing. This allows places for waterfowl to use these ponds for food, roosting and as resting areas. 
• Reservoirs - Large bodies of water are needed because of the huge depletion of wetlands. This provides habitat through large aquatic vegetation or if they do not have a lot of vegetation, they are usually centered near agricultural lands where waterfowl can access food.