Florida's
Wood Ducks
(Aix sponsa)
Wood Duck Nest Box Infomation
How To Build A
Nest Box
An Introduction to the Wood Duck
Wood
ducks (Aix sponsa) are perhaps the most beautiful duck in North America.
Florida is home to both year-round (resident) and migratory wood ducks (those
that breed farther north and spend only the fall and winter months here).
Wood ducks are admired by people throughout Florida, in fact, they are the most
abundant resident wild ducks in the state (other resident species include the
Florida Mottled Duck and the
Fulvous whistling duck). Wood ducks are small to medium sized ducks,
with a noticeably crested head. Males are brightly colored, while females
are brownish gray. Both males and females have a white patch around the
eyes and throat.
Wood Duck Habitat
Wood ducks inhabit wooded, brushy,
or other vegetated wetland areas. Wood ducks nest in tree cavities
near lakes, rivers, ponds, and other wetland areas. Often nest cavities
are in short supply which limits the size of wood duck populations.
Fortunately, wood ducks readily accept manmade next boxes in place of natural
cavities. FWC personnel maintain wood duck nest boxes on public waters
throughout the state and also cooperate with private citizens, government
agencies, and groups such as local Ducks Unlimited chapters and
Boy Scout troops to maintain and erect boxes.
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Wood Duck Population
Monitoring
Wood ducks spend most of their time in vegetated or wooded
wetlands. This makes them difficult to see and count during aerial surveys,
unlike other waterfowl species that inhabit more open-water areas and can be
easily counted. Since wood ducks cannot be counted reliably during aerial
surveys, populations have been monitored through banding, experimental
monitoring of nest boxes, and harvest surveys.
According to assessments by FWC’s waterfowl management staff, reproduction
of wood ducks in Florida has been typical for the species and higher than
for other duck species. The population growth rate for females in Florida
suggests a stable population, and Florida wood ducks are harvested at a low
rate. In other words, the indicators we have of population status for this
species show no cause for concern, and harvest levels appear to be
sustainable.
Estimates of harvest and hunter effort are used to help determine whether the
harvest allowed by hunting seasons in Florida is compatible with the well-being
of Florida’s wood duck population. According to estimates from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (FWS), hunters harvest an average (2000-2004) of 2,234 wood
ducks during the special September duck season and 10,180 during the regular
waterfowl season. Previous analysis of banding data indicated that a high
proportion of wood ducks that are banded during the summer in Florida and
harvested by hunters are harvested within the state. This information helps to
support increased hunting opportunity for Florida wood ducks.
View
Florida's Wood Duck Banding Totals
Visit the Florida
Breeding Bird Atlas web site to view a brief
species account and
breeding distribution map.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
An assessment
of wood duck population monitoring and the special September duck season
in Florida--final report. Brakhage,
D. H., and D. R. Eggeman. 1998. Florida Game and Fresh
Water Fish Commission. Unpublished Report Tallahassee, Fla. 44pp.
Florida’s 5-day special September duck season began in 1981. This season,
which occurs outside of the regular duck season frameworks, is designed
to provide additional harvest opportunities for blue- winged teal and
resident wood ducks. The season originally was evaluated during 1981-83.
This report summarizes efforts during 1989-96 to estimate harvest and
hunter activity during the special September duck season and monitor
wood duck population status.
Florida's special
September duck season annually provided an average of 8,489 (SE = 577.3)
hunter-days of recreation in addition to the regular waterfowl season.
During 1989-96, the annual wood duck harvest during the special
September season averaged 6,216 (SE = 310.8), and annual teal harvest
during 1992-96 averaged 6,827 (SE = 1,239). The estimate of wood duck
harvest-per-hunter-day has remained similar to estimates from the first
3 years (1981-83) of Florida's special September season. Ninety percent
of banded wood ducks recovered and reported were from Florida,
suggesting that the season targets locally breeding wood ducks, as
intended.
We used
recoveries of preseason banded wood ducks to estimate survival and
recovery rates. During 1987-96, 9,598 wood ducks were banded, and 358
bands were recovered and reported during hunting seasons. Males survived
at an estimated annual rate of 0.585 (SE = 0.028) and females at 0.406
(SE = 0.040). Analysis of capture-recapture data from box-nesting female
wood ducks yielded a mean survival rate estimate of 0.490 (SE = 0.012),
which was statistically higher than that estimated by preseason banding.
This difference raises the question of which method most accurately
represents survival of adult female wood ducks. Recovery rates (indices
to harvest rates) averaged 0.018 (SE = 0.002) for females and 0.021 (SE
= 0.002) for males. These rates are low compared with other duck species
and wood ducks banded from more northern population units. These results
indicate that Florida wood ducks continue to be harvested at a low rate.
Preseason age-ratios during
1989-96 averaged 1.18 (SE = 0.018) young per adult, which is comparable to
other reported estimates for wood ducks. This finding suggests that
recruitment of wood ducks in Florida is typical for the species and
higher than for other duck species. The estimated population growth rate
for female wood ducks in Florida was not statistically different from
that of a stable population. Results from nest box monitoring suggest
that the technique may not be a reliable index to breeding populations
and production.
More information on wood ducks
is available in
Ecology and Management of the Wood Duck
by Frank C. Bellrose and Daniel J. Holm. 1994.
Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA. 588 pgs.
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