Knock on wood

If you live near a stream or lake with adequate tree cover, there's a good chance you may have seen a Wood Duck or two frequenting your property. If you enjoy having them around, and would like to help keep the population strong, there are a few things to know.

Wood Ducks are fairly easy to recognize. Males are characterized by their exquisite plumage: a collage of iridescent greens and blues, a red and yellow beak, and very unusual red eyes. The females are a little less extravagant, instead retaining their gray-brown hue for most of the year.

They are one of the most popular game birds in the U.S., second only to the Mallard, and habitually nest in trees (hence the name Wood Duck). They can literally be found scattered across the entire continental U.S., depending on the time of year, and thrive on seeds, acorns, fruit, and aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates.

Because natural nesting hollows are scarce, broody Wood Ducks will readily utilize nesting boxes made ready to them. That's where you can help.

Wood duck boxes have always been the conservationist's Boy Scout project of choice. They're easy to make, and serve an important role in providing wildlife with much needed breeding ground.

When installing these nesting boxes, remember that they should be close to, or even directly over, water. That's their habitat. Mount them about six feet high, and facing south, to keep the weather and predators out.

Don't put the boxes too close together; in fact, keep them out of sight from one another, and if possible, in a discrete location (not the middle of a pond). If the houses are too close together, the females will get confused and lay their eggs in another nest. These become known as "dump" nests, and can end up containing up to 40 eggs. Often times, the broody hen abandons those dump nests anyway, and most of the benefit of having extra nesting sites are lost.

Wood Ducks begin pairing up in January, and are the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods a year -- you can expect plenty of ducklings!

For more information, visit Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology >>