The wood duck is (Aix sponsa) is one of the most beautiful of American waterfowl with males boasting an iridescent mix of greens, blacks, whites, and chestnut browns. Contrary to mallards which nest on the ground around lake margins, wood ducks build their nests in tree cavities high off the ground. Unlike most other duck species, they have strong claws for perching in branches and gripping bark. They do not collect outside materials to build nests and will instead find cavities with debris which they will supplement with their own down feathers. After hatching, ducklings will leap from their cavity nests to fall to the ground before they have the ability to fly. They can jump from heights of over 50 feet!
As cavity nesting species, wood duck nesting habitat is lost in conjunction with forest habitat loss. Cavities for wood ducks are typically only found in larger trees which limits their available nesting options. Wood ducks will readily use artificial nest boxes and installing them is a good way to provide nesting habitat for wood ducks where it is otherwise scarce. Willowsford Conservancy maintains wood duck boxes at several of our ponds including Spring Peeper Pond in The Greens. The boxes were donated by a local boy scout as part of an eagle scout project in the fall of 2018.Wood ducks are not the most common species around here, but we’re excited to share that we caught a breeding pair on our trail cams earlier this month at one of our ponds in The Greens!
