The Canvasback (Aythya americana) is native to North America. Its geographical distribution includes regions across Canada and the United States. It breeds primarily in the interior regions of Canada, particularly in the prairie provinces, and in parts of the north-central United States. During the winter, it migrates to the southern United States, the Pacific and Atlantic coasts, and into parts of Mexico.

The Canvasback typically inhabits freshwater ponds, lakes, marshes, and occasionally in more brackish waters near coasts. During breeding, they prefer large, deep-water marshes with abundant emergent vegetation like cattails and reeds, which provide both food and cover. In winter, they are found in coastal bays, estuaries, and inland lakes. The species relies on aquatic vegetation and invertebrates, and requires open water bodies that support large submergent plant communities.

Aythya americana is primarily a diving duck, exploiting deep water habitats that are not heavily used by other waterfowl and taking advantage of benthic organisms like tubers, roots, and seeds of aquatic plants, as well as mollusks and other invertebrates. This feeding strategy places them in a distinct ecological niche, where they act as both predators of aquatic invertebrates and as herbivores, contributing to the health and balance of the aquatic ecosystems they inhabit.