Scientists Track Duck Migration for the First Time, Revealing Wetland Importance (VIDEO)

Each year, mallard ducks migrate from Canada to the American Midwest and back again. Now, scientists have learned a bit more about this migration by using new remote satellite tracking technology to map this feat for the first time.

In order to track these ducks, the scientists attached small solar-powered tracking devices to the ducks, which transmitted their locations every four hours. This allowed the researchers to monitor the ducks' progress in real time.

"The tracking devices allowed us to evaluate the ducks' behavior and biology on an exceptionally detailed scale throughout their annual migration cycle," said Dylan Kesler, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Previously, we only knew when the birds left and when they arrived and some other small things. Now, we have an extensive data set from which to understand the role of different habitats and other factors in migratory populations. We can begin to understand migration in a way that it has never been understood before."

More specifically, the researchers found that wetlands are crucial for the duck migration. Private lands enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) have become a critical component of ducks' migration. Sanctuaries on public areas are also used frequently by migratory ducks. These findings, in particular, highlight the importance of preserving wetlands.

"We have lost nearly 90 percent of wetland areas in Missouri in the last century and 50 percent of wetlands across the country since the early 1800s," said Kesler. "This loss has affected migratory bird populations and migration timing and routes. Our research shows the importance of these wetland areas to maintain healthy populations of migratory birds and other species, especially in an age of budget cuts for government programs protecting these few remaining wetland areas."

The findings are published in the journal Biological Conservation.

Want to learn more? Check out hte video below, courtesy of YouTube.