Wildlife - The Wood Duck: A Fight for Survival ~ Pawprints and Purrs

Pawprints and Purrs, Inc.
Wildlife
The Wood Duck

A Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization
All donations are tax deductible
Copyright © 1997 - 2010

The Wood Duck is considered by many bird watchers to be North America's most colorful waterfowl species. Its scientific name, Aix sponsa, translates into "waterbird in bridal dress." The North American Wood Duck, also known as the Carolina duck, Swamp Duck, Squealer Duck and Summer Duck, is well known in aviculture and in the wild. Many refer to it as the Woodie, but by any name, this duck is the most ornamental of all North American species.

Early in the 19th century the Wood Duck was in abundant supply and very popular for their tasty meat and bright decorative feathers. By the late 1880s, unregulated hunting and destruction of woodland and wetland habitat had caused the Wood Duck population to decline to alarmingly low levels. By the beginning of the 20th century, Wood Ducks had virtually disappeared from much of their former range.

In response to the Migratory Bird Treaty established in 1916 and enactment of the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act in 1918, Wood Duck populations began to slowly recover. By ending unregulated hunting and taking measures to protect remaining habitat, Wood Duck populations began to rebound in the 1920s. The development of the artificial nesting box in the 1930s gave an additional boost to Wood Duck production. Wood Ducks eagerly accepted boxes as suitable nesting sites, and over the following fifty years, conservation groups and individuals helped increase numbers of Wood Ducks by preserving habitat and erecting nest boxes. The combination of hunting restrictions and habitat conservation and management measures enabled Wood Duck populations to rebound enough to support conservative hunting in the 1940s.

The Woodie has made a complete recovery and now breeds in 38 of the lower 48 states and in 8 Canadian provinces. Many private citizens chipped in to save the Wood Duck by placing artifical nest boxes in their wetland habitat that had been cleared of trees needed for nesting. Like the Mandarin, they were introduced to the Great Britian, but didn't do as successful. The story of the Wood Duck is an example of how active wildlife management techniques can have a tremendous effect on the overall success of an individual species.

The geographic range for the Wood Duck is mainly along eastern North America, from near the southern tip of Florida to northern Nova Scotia, then west across Quebec and Ontario to the southern tip of Texas. Also in the west, from the northern two-thirds of California north to southern British Columbia. Wood Ducks depend upon forested wetland habitat for food and cover, although marshes are also used. Breeding range must have trees for nesting cavities and food near permanent freshwater lakes and streams. Brushy borders are important for nesting and brooding. Swampy areas with cypress and gum are premium for roosting. The best habitat contains mast-producing hardwoods that border streams and permanent fresh-water lakes. Many beaver ponds provide ideal Wood Duck habitat.

Wood Ducks feed in water deeper than 18" in flooded timber or wooded swamps. The diet of the Wood Duck includes hard and soft mast, insects, aquatic invertebrates (mollusks, snails, etc.), aquatic plants and seeds, the fruit of trees and shrubs, such as acorns, nuts, and berries. Wood Ducks feed on land considerable distances from open water. They eat the seeds of the trees that occupy these areas. They may occassionally feed in fields, eating various grains, e.g., corn and wheat.

Wood Ducks prefer wooded swamps and river bottomlands. Natural cavities in trees serve as nests sites. Tree species important in producing desireable cavities in floodplain forests include bald cyress, sycamore, silver maple, black ash, sour gum, and black willow. Tree species that produce usable cavities in upland areas include black oak, red oak, white oak, blackjack oak, burr oak, and basswood. Unlike most other dabbling ducks, Wood Ducks do not have a stable home range. Their home range changes according to the rise and fall of floodwaters.

Nesting habitat requires areas of flooded shrubs, trees, or both, in approximately 1:1 ratio of plant cover to open water. Trees or shrubs overhanging water will suffice. Cover should remain available from February through May. Nesting cavities should be within 1/2 mile from water. Mature trees of 16 inches in diameter or more are the primary source of cavities, although nesting boxes make a good substitute. Maintain at least one cavity for every 5 acres of woodlands. Adequate food must be available.

Nesting requires cavities or nest boxes. Wood Ducks prefer to use cavities already made by woodpeckers and squirrels, although any cavity is acceptable. The entrance should be no larger than 4 inches and the cavity large enough to support an average of 11 young. Protecting previously used nests is very important. Once successful, a female will nest in the same cavity year after year.

A piece of wire mesh or screen should be placed in side the nest box, just beneath the entrance hole. The enables the hen and the ducklings to get traction on the flat plywood.

The drakes are the most vividly colored of all North American ducks. The head and crest are metallic green and purple, with a white line extending from the base of the bill above the eye and another behind the eye along the crest; the throat and neck are also white. The breast is chestnut with white flecks, and the lower breast and underparts are white. The mantle and wings are metallic blue and green; sides are buff, finely vermiculated with black. His bill is red, with a yellow band at the base and a black line above the nostrils to the tip. Legs and feet dark yellow. The hen is mostly brownish-olive overall, with white streaks on the breast and white eye ring and line surrounding the bill. Her bill is much duller than the drakes, being dark gray; the legs and feet same as the male.

Most Wood Duck hens breed as yearlings; second-year breeders may reflect delayed sexual maturity as a result of late hatching. Pairing for breeding begins as early as late October and continues through February, sometimes even into early spring. Wood Ducks remain with their mates longer than most ducks, usually until the eggs are pipped.

The breeding season begins in April. The hen will pull some of her breast feathers out to line the nest and will lay a clutch up to 15 cream colored eggs; a normal clutch is 6-10 eggs. The eggs hatch in about 28 to 30 days and the ducklings grow quickly and are able to fly at about 8 to 10 weeks. The ducklings are very active. Young males will resemble their adult counterparts by their first fall.

Due to the migratory and mobile nature of the Wood Duck, home range is difficult to define. The average feeding radius is 25 to 30 miles every day. Annual migrations reach hundreds of miles. Wood Ducks living in the northern part of the species range migrate southward to their winter grounds beginning in the fall. In spring, indigenous Wood Ducks leave concentration areas to nest locally, while migrant Dood Ducks return north to their breeding grounds.

Among other things, the Wood Duck brings state and federal income generated through hunting licenses and duck stamps issued to protect wetlands.

Resources:
1. Life History and Habitat Needs of the Wood Duck, K.M. Drugger and L.H. Fredrickson
2. The Natural History of North America, Edward Ricciuti

Wildlife - The Wood Duck: A Fight for Survival

PP&I

Want to Join the
The Bird Web Ring?
Click here for Info

Your donation goes to the expenses for our feral cat colony and foster cats and dogs' food, upkeep, and medical care. 100% of all donations go to the animals because there are no salaries or administrative fees. Thank you for your support!