Bird Conservation
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Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Family: ANATIDAE
Order: Anseriformes
Spanish Common Name: Pato de charreteras
French Common Name: Canard branchu
(c) Charles Bush |
Courtesy of Kenn Kaufman |
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Conservation Status
Global Population: 4.6 million
Continental Population: 4.6 million
Watchlist Status: 
Audubon State of the Birds Status: increasing population, no current conservation concerns
Endangered or Threatened Status: none
The Wood Duck is a poster child for waterbird conservation efforts. This beautiful species has been brought back from the edge of extinction at the turn of the 19th century to today's healthy, increasing population.
Range & Distribution
This species breeds across southern Canada, throughout much of the United States, and south to Cuba along wooded streams and ponds. It is absent from the Great Plains and the southwest, largely because of a lack of suitable habitat.
A legend for the range map to the right can be found here.
Population Status & Trends
Both the Breeding Bird Survey and the Christmas Bird Count indicate that this species is increasing significantly.
Conservation Issues & Efforts
Wood Ducks have long been a favorite bird among hunters, birders, and the general public. However, the combination of heavy hunting and habitat destruction almost resulted in their extinction in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Fortunately, hunters and conservationists noticed the plight of this species in time. The Wood Duck was given legal protection from hunting and a major campaign was begun to provide nest boxes for this species. The current flourishing population attests to the success of this effort. Wood Ducks are now being hunted again with careful regulation. Most important, they can be enjoyed by more and more people as their range expands to the north and west.
What You Can Do
If you own or manage appropriate habitat, consider providing a nest box or two. Nest boxes can be purchased from many outlets, and plans to construct them can be found online. Organize a nest box project with a local scout or other community group in an appropriate public habitat.
Show a Wood Duck to someone unfamiliar with the species. You may spark a lifetime interest in birds and conservation.
For actions you can take, including Audubon activities, please visit our resources page.
For More Information
References
Hepp, G.R., and F.C. Bellrose. 1995. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). In The Birds of North America, No. 169 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and the American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.
Kaufman, Kenn. Lives of North American Birds. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 1996.
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