Species: Aix sponsa

Wood Duck

Species

Birds

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Terrestrial vertebrates: birds

Encyclopedia of Puget Sound

Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Craniata

Class

Aves

Order

Anseriformes

Family

Anatidae

Genus

Aix

NatureServe

Source:
ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104243

Classification

Other Global Common Names

Pato Arcoiris - canard branchu

Informal Taxonomy

Animals, Vertebrates - Birds - Waterfowl

Formal Taxonomy

Animalia - Craniata - Aves - Anseriformes - Anatidae - Aix - See Livezey (1991) for a phylogenetic analysis and classification (supergenera, subgenera, infragenera, etc.) of dabbling ducks based on comparative morphology.

Ecology and Life History

Migration

true - true - true - In the southernmost breeding range, populations are essentially nonmigratory. Northern breeding populations migrate south for winter. Southerly fall migration occurs mainly in October-November. Migrants depart south by mid-March, arrive in northern breeding areas by mid-April (Palmer 1976). In the southeastern U.S., migrates farther south in years when spring-summer precipitation is below average and habitat suitability presumably is negatively affected (Hepp and Hines 1991). Migrants may disperse east or west or northward prior to southward fall migration (Dugger and Fredrickson 1992).

Non-migrant

true

Locally Migrant

true

Food Comments

Eats seeds and other parts of aquatic plants; nuts, fruits, and seeds of trees (especially acorns) and shrubs; also aquatic and land insects. Winter diet consist almost entirely of plant material, with acorns often important. Animal foods are an important part of the diet inspring and summer. Young initially eat mainly insects; also duckweed, occasionally frogs (Palmer 1976). Feeds on water and on the ground.

Reproduction Comments

Upon arrival in breeding areas, migratory females forage intensively and built up nutrient reserves prior to nesting. Nests are initiated as early as late January in the south, early March in the Midwest, and mid-March to early April in the north. Clutch size is 9-15 (usually 10-12), but more than one female may contribute eggs to a nest, resulting in nests with many more eggs (commonly up to 30 for successful nests in nest boxes). Often two broods per year are raised in the south, occasionally in the north. Incubation lasts 27-37 days, by female. Females with broods commonly move a kilometer or more from the nest site soon after hatching. Most juvenile mortality occurs during the first few weeks after hatching. Young first fly at about 9 weeks, abandoned by parent at 1-2 months. Yearlings may breed but often unsuccessfully or not at all. Most of the above information is from Dugger and Fredrickson 1992).

Ecology Comments

During migration, sometime forms roosting flocks of 100 or more; in winter, smaller groups of less than 30 are more common (Dugger and Fredrickson 1992). <br><br>High annual mortality rate (commonly 50% in adults, higher in young of year). Common predators of young include mink, raccoon, snapping turtle, bullfrog, largemouth bass, and other large predatory fishes. Summer home ranges of of fledged broods were 0-12.8 kilometers along a river (Stewart 1958). Home ranges of breeding males in Minnesota averaged 202 ha and those of unpaired males, 526 ha (Gilmer 1971).

Length

Weight

681

Conservation Status

NatureServe Global Status Rank

Global Status Last Reviewed

1996-11-21

Global Status Last Changed

1996-11-21

Other Status

LC - Least concern

Distribution

Conservation Status Map

Global Range

H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - BREEDS: southern British Columbia and Alberta south to central California, northern Nevada, Idaho, and western Montana, with small number farther south to Arizona and New Mexico; also throughout most of the central and eastern U.S. and adjacent southern Canada, from Montana, Manitoba, the Great Lakes region, southern Quebec, and Nova Scotia south to Texas, the Gulf coast, and Florida, east to the Atlantic coast, west to Wyoming and Colorado; Cuba. The highest breeding densities occur in the Mississippi alluvial valley (Dugger and Fredrickson 1992). In recent decades, the breeding range expanded westward into the Great Plains region after wooded riparian corridors developed (Dugger and Fedrickson 1992). WINTERS: mostly on Pacific coast and interior California, and north to Kansas, southern Iowa, Ohio Valley, New England. The highest winter densities occur in the southern states of the Mississippii and Atlantic flyways and in California's Central Valley (Dugger and Fredrickson 1992).

Global Range Code

Global Range Description

>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)

ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.104243