Mallards Feeding on Salmon Carcasses in Alaska

Abstract

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) are known to frequent rivers and streams during post-breeding. I describe observations of Mallards feeding on fresh Pacific salmon (Onchorhynchus spp.) carcasses in Alaska on two separate occasions during July– August 2005. These observations represent the first reported use of salmon carcasses by Mallards in Alaska. This strategy may be fairly common for a segment of post-breeding and fall staging Pacific Flyway Mallards in Alaska, particularly those that inhabit streams and rivers used by the five species of Pacific salmon during the spawning season.