Water bird

The term waterbird is also used in the context of conservation to refer to any birds that inhabit or depend on bodies of water or wetland areas.

This classification is found by a relative apparent synapomorphy analysis (RASA) which highlighted certain branches of genes that classified the domestic duck and fowl, for example, as an outgroup.

[1] Waterbird conservation efforts in the United States are advanced by numerous organizations, including the 700,000 member strong Ducks Unlimited.

Employing such methods as conservation easements and outright purchase, it uses federal and state habitat reimbursements, sponsorships, member fees, major gifts, donations, royalties, and advertisement to raise over $200 million a year.

The Baer's pochard's population has decreased to between 150 and 700 birds in recent years due to negative environmental impacts on their habitat as well as human activities such as hunting and fishing.

[9] Experimental evidence of competition has been difficult to obtain in highly mobile animals that cannot be meaningfully confined to plots of limited size.

Many migratory water birds use similar food resources on their breeding, molting, or overwintering grounds as do resident fish species.

Studies, such as that done by Eadie and Keast in 1982, found an inverse relationship between the goldeneye (a water bird) and benthic feeding fish across multiple lakes.

Mobile water birds tend to avoid areas where their food density is high because this increases competition for resources.

While the overall epidemiology of DEV is unknown in western Europe, studies conducted in Poland agree with the high levels of transmission between free-ranging water birds.