Wood Duck

Wood Duck (Aix spinosa)
click for sound

Migrant and summer resident.

Wood ducks are one of the most widely distributed of Ohio's resident waterfowl.

Strictly a cavity nester, most nests are located adjacent to or directly over the water at heights ranging from only a few feet in the case of artificial nesting boxes to heights exceeding 50 feet in the cavities of mature trees.

Wood ducks are a true riparian species, preferring mature riparian corridors along streams, secluded wooded swamps, and the quiet backwaters of lakes and ponds bordered by large trees as the habitats for raising their young.

Decimated by habitat destruction and over-hunting before the turn of the century this species has gradually been increasing its numbers in Ohio with the aid of artificial nesting boxes and hunting regulations. Broods of young wood ducks are now a common sight for many canoeists on Ohio rivers in early to mid-summer.