Quebec – From January 25 to 28, 2011, Environment Canada‘s Cap Tourmente National Wildlife Area will host the annual “Canadian Wingbee.”
This year, some 20 scientists from the Canadian Wildlife Service will join other waterfowl specialists from across the country to sift through more than 11,000 duck wings and goose tail feathers sent in by sports hunters from all regions of Canada.
The feather samples, taken from 30-odd migratory game bird species, will be analyzed to determine the age and sex of the birds. The purpose is to identify the species bagged and the harvest levels in each region of the country. This initiative is part of the national migratory bird harvest program and the information it yields is vital to managing the annual game bird hunt as well as to the annual review of related regulations.
The Mallard, American Black Duck, Green-winged Teal, Wood Duck, Canada Goose and Snow Goose are among the game species most commonly inventoried and analyzed by specialists from the Atlantic Region, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies and British Columbia.
This scientific activity takes place in a different region every year, and is back in Quebec after five years. The results of this colossal work will be published in the spring of 2011.
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