The species name valisineria comes from the plant Vallisneria americana, whose winter buds and rhizomes are the Canvasback's preferred food during the nonbreeding period.
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Historically, the Chesapeake Bay wintered the majority of Canvasbacks, but with the recent loss of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the bay, their range has shifted south towards the LMAV.
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The Canvasback migrates through the Mississippi Flyway to wintering grounds in the mid-Atlantic United States and the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV), or the Pacific Flyway to wintering grounds along the coast of California.
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In the early 1950s it was estimated that there were 225,000 Canvasbacks wintering in the Chesapeake Bay; this represented one-half of the entire North American population.
As one of the principal honorees, Gephart delivered a speech on the "Future of Bellefonte," and "Canvasback duck à la Gephart" was among the dishes on the menu.
The nutritious tubers are an important food source for waterfowl, including the Canvasback, which help disperse the plant.