She sits on a nest of 8-15 eggs in the bottom of a tree cavity covered in wood chips, and her mate is close by for the month of incubation. He leaves close to the period of hatching, spending time with other males from then on. The entire brood hatches in one day, usually spending a night in the nest, and then on the next morning a truly amazing sight occurs as, one-by-one, adorable ducklings leap from great heights out of their nests. With the hen calling below, they perform the ultimate leap of faith. They tumble down, as far as sixty feet on their first full day of life, and land substantially unharmed.
This sight is becoming more common as the populations of Wood Ducks continue to thrive in our state—yet this was not always the case. This beautiful, multi-colored duck became nearly extinct in the early 1900’s. Not surprisingly, this was a result of habitat destruction and hunting. Their preferred habitat of wetlands, such as woodland swamps, were drained, and widespread logging removed many of the mature trees that they used as nests. Hunting reduced their numbers further, and in 1913 Wood Duck hunting was banned for five years by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in order to regrow the population. This effort preceded ratification of the Migratory Bird Act of 1918 between the U.S and Canada, which provided an overarching framework for protection.
Another surprising helper to the cause of saving these birds came in the form of beaver reintroductions, which began in 1917. Beavers benefited Wood Duck populations by creating and enhancing their preferred habitats. Beaver dams create ponds and wetlands, offering increased food, cover, and nesting opportunities for Wood Ducks. Community involvement, both in the form of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and of conservation groups, helped enormously with the placement of nest boxes. In addition, funds raised from the sale of duck stamps to hunters helped to protect Wood Duck habitat. All of these efforts helped Wood Duck populations to grow steadily. Hunting of these ducks was once again permitted in 1941. By 1976, Wood Duck populations were at about one million adults before the breeding season. Population trends continue to rise, and at present there are an estimated 3.5 to 4.6 million Wood Ducks in North America, depending on the source you reference. The IUCN Status (International Union for Conservation of Nature) classifies the Wood Duck as being of “Least Concern.”
In Pennsylvania, the Wood Duck is sometimes referred to as a Carolina Duck, Summer Duck, Squealer or Woodie. According to the PA Game Commission, Woodie is a particularly popular name. The Wood Duck’s Latin name, Aix sponsa, loosely translated means “a waterfowl in a wedding dress.”
They arrive in our state during early spring, breed over the summer, and most fly south to the Gulf and west to eastern Texas in the late autumn. There are resident populations in the southeast and southwest corners of Pennsylvania.
These ducks are about 18-20 inches long with a 26-28-inch wingspan. They are fast and agile flyers and can reach speeds of up to fifty mph. As far as eating habits are concerned, they are known as dabblers, as opposed to diving ducks, and search shallow waters in swampy areas for vegetation. Yet they will also eat berries, nuts, and grapes. Small invertebrates are not off the menu. While they favor mature sycamore, maple, oak, basswood, elm, and gum trees for nesting, they will take advantage of man-made nest boxes as mentioned above. Should you wish to set up such a nest box, it should ideally be set up on a pole above water. Predator barriers are also helpful to add, and the openings should be small enough to keep raccoons out. The PA Game Commission has plans for building Wood Duck houses here. It is important that hens and their brood do not have to travel more than one mile from their nest box to the wetland where the brood will be raised. Pennsylvania studies show that mortality increases beyond this distance. You can also purchase Wood Duck houses from the PA Game Commission here.
Barbara Beck, Richland Township Bird Town Leader
Photo credits:
Wood Duck female with ducklings, by Jill Anne, used with permission
Male Wood Duck by Jeff Kaboly, used with permission