A Field Trip into the World of Sea Ducks

The Sea Duck Joint Venture has published “The Sea Duck Key Habitat Sites Atlas”, which identifies 85 important areas in North America that are essential to the welfare of sea ducks, highlighting habitats that are most critical to sea ducks during at least one season.

Sea ducks are a unique group of birds that depend on coastal habitats, and are often found in extremely remote arctic and subarctic areas.  The Sea Duck Key Habitat Sites Atlas  identifies 85 important areas in North America that are essential to the welfare of sea ducks, highlighting habitats that are most critical to sea ducks during at least one season. Strict criteria based on sea duck abundance and density were used to restrict key site designation to areas that are vital to sea ducks at a scale that is meaningful and practical in terms of habitat conservation and protection.

The Atlas is intended to heighten awareness of valuable sea duck habitats, aid in prioritizing habitat conservation and protection efforts, and help in evaluating environmental assessments.