The 2024 Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey results have recently been released by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Click here for the full story on the Delta Waterfowl website.

In general, the news is decent for duck hunters. Total duck numbers for 2023 was 32.31 million ducks (see chart below), and are estimated at 33.99 million ducks this year, which is an increase of 5%. (Note: Not all species are represented in the chart.)

Not surprisingly, the percentage change by species is a bit all over the board. Mallard numbers are up 8%, and others on the rise include scaup (most often called bluebills; 16%), green-winged teal (20%) and wigeon (55%). Other popular duck species shown on the chart are down from 7-16%. Total duck numbers for 2024 are down 4% from the long-term average.

In the 5-minute YouTube video below, Delta Waterfowl President Dr. Frank Rohwer and Waterfowl Scientist Dr. Chris Nicolai discuss the year-to-year and long-term averages for several waterfowl species. They also provide some insight into May 2024 pond counts and other factors that duck hunters should look to as positives from this survey.