FIRE EFFECTS AND USE
WILDLIFE SPECIES: Anas discors | Blue-Winged Teal 



DIRECT FIRE EFFECTS ON ANIMALS : 
Fire occurring in blue-winged teal nesting habitat during April through
June could destroy a large number of nests [1,2].  Blue-winged teal
nests in short, sparse vegetation are less subject to fire destruction.
Such scant cover is not intentionally burned as often as heavy cover
[6].  Ducklings and molting adults are especially vulnerable to fire.
Adult nonmolting blue-winged teal can probably easily escape fire.


HABITAT RELATED FIRE EFFECTS : 
Fire can remove blue-winged teal nesting cover [19].  Although
blue-winged teal do not show a preference for burned cover, they use
burned areas more often than do other dabbling ducks [6].  Fritzell [6]
found 16 of 19 nests in burned areas to be those of blue-winged teal.
Large-scale autumn burning may have a detrimental effect on marshes by
reducing their ability to catch and retain drifting snow, which adds
heavily to spring run-off.  The ability of marsh vegetation to catch and
hold snow can be vital to marsh survival [19].  Fire often removes
excessive accumulations of fast-growing hydrophytes, permitting better
waterfowl access and growth of more desirable duck foods.  Fire can be
used to convert forested uplands adjacent to aquatic habitats to grasses
and sedges, thus increasing the nesting potential for some waterfowl
[18].


FIRE USE : 
Prescribed fire can be used to create nesting edge for ducks.  Removal
of dense vegetation and woody encroachment is vital if prairie marshes
are to remain in this successional state [19].  According to Ward [19],
spring burning in marshlands is primarily done to remove vegetation and
create more nesting edge.  Summer fires are used to create more
permanent changes in the plant community.  If prescribed burning is used
as a management technique in marshes, burning must be completed well
before or after the nesting season [19].  For blue-winged teal, summer
burning should occur after July [19].  Fire can also be used to reduce
predator activity through the elimination of hiding cover [6].

Fire can be used to remove fast-growing undesirable species, such as
common reed (Phragmites australis), and increase production of desirable
blue-winged teal foods such as pondweed and duckweed [20].  The best way
to reduce common reed with prescribed burning is to burn during the
summer when carbohydrate reserves in the plant are low and the soil is
dry [9].


REFERENCES : 
NO-ENTRY

Related categories for Wildlife Species: Anas discors | Blue-Winged Teal