The Wood Duck: A Conservation Success Story

In the colorful fashion world of waterfowl most would agree that the male would duck stands alone. Its vibrant colors are second to none and is one of the favorites ducks for many Illinois residents to see.

Male wood ducks have a shiny green head with a white streak moving down to the neckline. Their head crest slicks back from their crown over the back of the neck. The chin is white as well as the throat. Their breast color is described by some as a purple chestnut in color with attractive white spots. On either side of the breast is a white streak bordered in black. The sides are golden with a darkish rump. The bill is reddish in color with white along the top. In eclipse plumage (late summer) they lose their pale sides and bold stripes but hold on to their bright colored bill and bold eye color. Both male and female woodies have webbed feet that have tiny sharp claws which allow them to cling to woody branches.

Females, while not as attractive as the males as they lack the vibrant colors, have their own beauty. They have a mottled brown breast streaked with white, gray brown under parts and a white belly. Females sport the attractive white eye patch as well.

Woodies are a common migrant and regular breeder in the state. They will begin arriving in late February and begin to depart southward around mid-November. While some may hang around during mild winters in the southern part of the state, they are, for the most part, a rare winter resident.

Habitat considerations are typical for this hardwood flyer. They prefer locations such as swamps, river bottomlands, and small lakes and ponds where timber sections are nearby.

By late winter most wood ducks have formed pairs and by early spring the search is on for a potential nesting site. Typically, that site is in trees from 20 to 50 feet in height. Wood ducks do, however, make regular use of human-made nesting boxes as well. Locations are usually near water, but some nests are utilized that are several hundred feet from a water source, but the water is close by and that is all that matters.

The nesting cavity is lined with soft down where the female will lay from 6 to 14 whitish to buff colored eggs. Wood ducks also practice “brood parasitism” where they will lay eggs in nest of other ducks including their own species. Wood ducks are the only North American duck that can produce two broods in one year.

Wood duck food sources can be plentiful both on and off the water. Skimming the water’s surface, they search for seeds and insects and some edible vegetation. When plentiful they will also feed on acorns and waste corn.

Being a lover of wooded timber, the wood duck is well adapted for flight in heavy cover. Their longer bodies and short wings allow them quick flight in the timber. Strong thick tails help to cling to heavy branches and trees.

In the early 1800s wood ducks were very abundant in the state of Illinois and areas east but as the wetlands were drained, the timber cut, and over-harvesting took over, wood duck numbers were drastically declining and by the late 1800s the possibility of extinction was even considered. Then in 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act came into play and consequently wood duck hunting was banned nationwide for 23 years.

In comes the late Frank Bellrose, an Illinois Natural History Survey research biologist from 1938 to 1982, who studied wood ducks for more than 50 years. On the brink of becoming a threatened or even extinct species, this man engineered a vital comeback of this species. Aided by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Bellrose, along with his extensive studies of the wood duck and invention of the predator-proof nesting box, helped change the outcome for this species.

The first nesting boxes in widespread use were first used in 1937. U.S. Biological Survey (now U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Biologists Gil Gigstead and Milford Smith erected 486 wooden boxes at Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge. Over the next two years, Bellrose and Arthur Hawkins erected another 700 throughout Illinois. Half of those would be used by wood ducks.

Bellrose quickly made changes to the way the boxes were constructed, including making the entrance dimensions on the boxes mimic the size found in natural cavities. Their studies also suggested that placement of the boxes might be a factor especially when it came to other ducks using the boxes and predation of the boxes. Always placing the boxes on trees, they then decided to place them on metal or wooden posts over water. Predation of nests ceased when metal predator guards were placed beneath the boxes.

Bellrose continued studying the wood duck and his efforts are credited with the comeback of this species. It is suggested that as many as 3 million breeding pairs exist across North America today.

Thanks to the work dedication of many biologists and volunteers working on the wood duck nest box program, today the wood duck is a common addition to the waterfowl hunters’ harvest. Check out the waterfowl hunting section of the Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations for hunting seasons and regulations.

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Kevin Wright is an award winning outdoor writer and wildlife photographer whose work has been published in a number of publications and websites throughout the country. He lives and works out of central Illinois.