---

Eastern South Dakota Wetlands

Yellow-headed blackbird

Wetlands, important winter habitat for resident wildlife

Wetlands and Wildlife

---

When explorers and settlers first crossed the wet prairies of eastern South Dakota they were greeted by clouds of waterfowl that had depended on the region for breeding and migration for more than 10,000 years.

The most productive duck nesting grounds of all - an area that often produced twenty or more broods to the square mile - were the glaciated grasslands of the northern Great Plains, studded with potholes, sloughs, and shallow marshes that made ideal habitat for mallards, pintails, canvasbacks, and other ducks of more than a dozen species....The spring and autumn migrations of the waterfowl were awe-inspiring sites to the first explorers who saw them. From the....prairie sloughs and potholes still unseen by white men, swans, geese and ducks... streamed southward each fall to concentrate by the millions on the bays, marshes, and rivers of the South. (5)

Despite extensive wetland drainage and loss of upland nesting cover, the prairie pothole region of eastern South Dakota remains one of the most productive waterfowl breeding areas of North America. It is the combination of small and shallow wetlands with larger and deeper wetlands that makes eastern South Dakota so attractive to breeding ducks.

Western grebes nest on floating platforms in large semipermanent wetlands

Blue-winged teal feed on invertebrates in shallow wetlands

Temporary and seasonal wetlands, most less than half an acre in size, thaw quickly in the spring. Pairs of dabbling ducks -- species such as mallards, pintails, and blue-winged teal -- will seek seclusion from other members of their species when they are preparing to nest. They find this privacy on small wetlands. These small wetlands also provide a rich source of aquatic insects, snails, and other invertebrates. Hens need this protein-and calcium-rich food to produce eggs.

A series of wet years on the prairies, when small, shallow wetlands hold water throughout the breeding season, can result in continental duck population explosions.

Deeper wetlands, that thaw later and hold water throughout the summer in most years, attract different ducks. These deeper wetlands provide breeding habitat for diving ducks such as canvasbacks and redheads.

Later in the season, many dabbling ducks will lead their broods to these deeper wetlands. And in the fall, migrating ducks and geese interrupt their southward journey to rest and feed on these wetlands, making eastern South Dakota a waterfowl management area of international importance and a paradise for waterfowl hunters.

Besides ducks, over 100 fish, 80 bird, 25 mammal, 17 amphibian, and 10 reptile species depend on eastern South Dakota wetlands. Some upland wildlife, such as ring-necked pheasants and white-tailed deer, use wetlands during the winter to survive prolonged cold and blizzards. Winter wind velocities in wetlands may be 95% less than in nearby shelter-belts, making wetlands valuable winter cover for many resident wildlife species.

Over 220 species of fish and wildlife, like these western painted turtles, inhabit eastern South Dakota wetlands

Damsel flies

Muskrats create openings in wetland vegetation that benefit other wildlife

Leopard frog

---

Wetlands provide a habitat for more than 200 species of wildlife that live in or migrate through eastern South Dakota. Some species are listed below (a number in ( ) indicates the number of species or subspecies).

Birds
Mallard Wood duck Redhead Bufflehead Hooded merganser White-fronted goose Osprey Eared grebe Black-crowned night heron Great egret Least bittern Sandhill crane Black tern Ring-billed gull Black-bellied plover Greater yellowlegs Marbled godwit Common snipe Least sandpiper Pectoral sandpiper Stilt sandpiper Red-necked phalarope Double-crested cormorant Bank swallow Common yellowthroat	Gadwall Shoveler Canvasback Ring-necked duck Common merganser Snow goose Northern harrier Red-necked grebe Little blue heron Yellow-crowned night heron Sora Whooping crane Common tern Franklin's gull Semipalmated plover Solitary sandpiper Hudsonian godwit Sanderling White-rumped sandpiper Short-billed dowitcher Marsh wren Red-winged blackbird Le Conte's sparrow Savannah sparrow Rough-winged swallow	Blue-winged teal Wigeon Lesser scaup Common goldeneye Canada goose (4) Ross's goose Bald eagle Western grebe Cattle egret Green-backed heron White-faced ibis Virginia rail Least tern Caspian tern Bonaparte's gull Piping plover Spotted sandpiper American avocet Semipalmated sandpiper Dunlin Long-billed dowitcher Sedge wren Yellow-headed blackbird Swamp sparrow Common grackle	Pintail Green-winged teal Greater scaup Ruddy duck Tundra swan Ring-necked pheasant Horned grebe Pied-billed grebe Snowy egret Great blue heron American bittern American coot Forster's tern Herring gull Killdeer Lesser yellowlegs Willet Ruddy turnstone Western sandpiper Baird's sandpiper Spotted sandpiper Wilson's phalarope White pelican Belted kingfisher Willow flycatcher
Mammals
Muskrat White-tailed deer Least weasel Masked shrew Southern bog lemming Meadow jumping mouse White-footed mouse	Beaver Coyote Stripped skunk Pygmy shrew Western harvest mouse Deer mouse	Mink Red fox Cottontail Arctic shrew Medow vole Southern red-backed vole	Raccoon Long-tailed weasel Short-tailed shrew Water shrew Prairie vole Grasshopper mouse
Reptiles and Amphibians
Western painted turtle Plains spadefoot toad Chorus frog (2) Tiger salamander (3) Mudpuppy	Snapping turtle Softshell turtle (2) Canadian toad Great Plains toad Leopard frog (2)	False map turtle Garter snake (3) American toad Cricket frog Wood frog	Blanding's turtle Northern water snake Woodhouse's toad Gray tree frog Bullfrog
Fish
Sturgeon (2) Herring (2) Stoneroller Brassy minnow Suckermouth minnow Buffalo (3) Black bullhead Stonecat Burbot White bass Bluegill Black crappie Sauger Chinook salmon Rainbow smelt Central mudminnow	Paddlefish Gizzard shad Carp (3) Plains minnow Bluntnose minnow River carpsucker Shorthead redhorse Yellow bullhead Tadpole madtom Banded killifish Rock bass Smallmouth bass Darters (3) Yellow perch Brown trout Northern Pike	Gar (2) Goldeye European rudd Chubs (6) Fathead minnow Quillback Northern hog sucker Brown bullhead Flathead catfish Plains topminnow Green sunfish Largemouth bass Logperch Freshwater drum Rainbow trout Muskellunge	American eel Mooneye West silvery minnow Shiners (13) Dace (4) Suckers (3) Blue catfish Channel catfish Trout-perch Brook stickleback Orangespotted sunfish White crappie Walleye Coho salmon Lake whitefish Grass pickerel
Endangered and Threatened Species
Piping plover Whooping crane	Least tern Blanding's turtle	Osprey False map turtle	Bald eagle Topeka shiner

Canada geese and other wildlife use wetlands in cropland

Mallards, the most abundant duck species in the prairie pothole region

---

Previous Section -- Introduction
Return to Contents
Next Section -- Wetlands and People

---

NPWRC Home�|�Site�Map�|�About Us�|�Staff�|�Search�|�Contact�|�Web�Help�|�Copyright