Waterfowl in Aviculture Survey

2020 Waterfowl in Aviculture Survey

The results are in! Thank you to everyone who participated.

To access IWWA’s 2020 Waterfowl in Aviculture Survey results, please click on the link below:

In 2004, the IWWA initiated its first Captive Waterfowl Survey after members voiced concerns about the number of species vanishing from captive collections. Surveys were sent to zoos and private collections in an effort to determine the actual number of each of the waterfowl species under human care.

After the results were analyzed, actions were taken to boost captive population numbers for species that were critically low in U.S. collections. The IWWA organized an import of several rare species from Europe to the U.S. in 2007, including Chinese Mergansers, Baer’s Pochard, Pink-eared Ducks, and Pacific Black Ducks. These species were propagated at Sylvan Heights Waterfowl in North Carolina, and the offspring of these birds are now loaned to qualified avicultural facilities in an effort to further increase their numbers. A second survey was conducted in 2010 to measure population changes since 2004. More recently, an online survey was distributed in 2015. In total, 183 public and 140 private waterfowl owners from across the United States and Canada responded, a major increase from previous surveys.