Wood Duck - A waterfowl in wedding attire

The wood duck is our most brilliantly colored duck. Its scientific name, Aix sponsa, can be loosely translated as "a waterfowl in wedding dress." This shy, retiring bird inhabits ponds, wetlands and sluggish streams surrounded by woodlands. Nicknames include Carolina duck, squealer, summer duck and woodie. Most authorities place the species with the dabbling ducks, a group distinguished by its habit of feeding on and near the surface of shallow waters, rather than diving for food.

The wood duck ranges from the Mississippi River east to the Atlantic coast, and from the Great Lakes Region south to the Gulf of Mexico. Most of them winter from the Carolinas south to the Gulf and west to eastern Texas. A small population of wood ducks also inhabits the Pacific Northwest. In Pennsylvania, woodies are common migrants in March and April; summer breeding residents; common migrants in September, October and early November; and occasional winter residents in the southeast and southwest corners of the state. The first PA Breeding Bird Atlas project (1984-89) recorded the wood duck nesting in every PA county.

Wood ducks inhabit slow-moving creeks, woodland ponds, lakes, swamps, marshes and beaver ponds. They rest in thick growths of water lilies, smartweeds, and other emergent plants; hens hide their ducklings in vegetation, under overhanging banks, and among fallen, partly submerged trees.

Woodies nest in cavities of mature sycamore, maple, oak, basswood, elm and gum trees. The ducklings jump to the ground after hatching. Where big trees are scarce, they will use man-made nest houses. Artificial nests should be made predator-proof, as they attract raccoons, squirrels and other predators looking for a meal. Place nest boxes on poles over water; attach metal shields partway up the poles, and make sure the boxes' entrances are small enough to exclude raccoons. Studies in Pennsylvania show that hens and broods having to travel more than a mile from their nest box to brood-rearing wetlands experience the highest mortality. That's why it's a good idea to place nest boxes near suitable wetlands. Wood duck boxes also provide nesting space for American kestrels, common screech owls, hooded mergansers, squirrels, and occasionally wrens and tree swallows. Plans for the boxes can be obtained by writing: Pennsylvania Game Commission, Dept. MS, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797.

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