New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

Michael Moore Michael Quattrone Rachael Bradbury Emily Viecelli

Stockton University
ENVL 4300: Environmental Issues
Dr. Moscovici
October 22, 2020
New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

Table of Contents Page Number

Abstract 2

Life History 2-3

Figure 1: Map of United States Resident Status 3

Cavity Nesting 4

Figure 2: NJ Waterfowl Hunting Zones, found from NJ.gov 5

Nesting in Galloway 5-6

Figure 3: Stockton University Galloway Campus Wood Duck Habitat map 7

Stockton University Galloway Campus 7-8

Citations 9-10

Appendix A: Nesting Box Dimensions 11

Appendix B: Nesting Box Images 12

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New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

Abstract
The purpose of this lab report is to determine the habitat, possible threats to the species, and find
the best location for nesting boxes for the wood duck (​Aix sponsa)​ on Stockton’s Galloway campus. The
wood duck is a species that occurs in high volume in New Jersey and the Northeast region, and has a
steadily increasing population. Stockton’s campus may be a viable area for wood ducks to nest but there
are some improvements that could be made to better suit them for their optimal environment. To improve
Lake Fred and Lake Pam for the wood duck habitats, we would have to include more oak trees and more
macroinvertebrate species so they can properly live and nest.
Life History
The wood duck (​Aix sponsa)​ , or Carolina Duck, is one of the most colorful waterfowl species
resident to the North American continent. Small and fast flying, wood ducks weigh in at an average of 1.5
pounds in weight, 20” in length, and can hit flight speeds of more than 30 miles per hour with the ability
to change direction incredibly fast (Madge 2010 pg 62). Wood ducks are very sexually dimorphic with
males being crested with an iridescent green and white head, white neck, red eyes, tan and white speckled
chest, yellow pin feathers, and more iridescent feathers on their back. Female wood ducks are mostly
white and grey with yellow accents around their eyes. Wood ducks are a major prey species for multiple
predatory mammals and birds including bald eagles (Madge 2010 pg 63). Conversely, wood ducks are
considered omnivores as they primarily eat insects, fruits, seeds, nuts, and acorns with up to 80% of their
diet consisting of nut or plant material (Hepp and Bellrose, 1995).
In the mid twentieth century wood duck populations declined to almost extinction due to
bottomland forest destruction as well as market hunting practices (Sauer et al 2017). Federally, wood
ducks are now of low concern for conservation with populations steadily increasing (Sauer et al 2017).
Increased regulation on waterfowl hunting at the federal and state levels as well as water quality, wetland,
and bottomland forest conservation, the wood duck is currently thriving across the North American
continent.
The New Jersey and Northeast populations of wood ducks is high due to the volume of oak-pine
forests in the region as well as the number of bottomland forests and cedar swamps (Hepp & Hines 1991).
Figure 1.1 shows the shear distance that wood ducks migrate as well as their large home range across
continental North America. A wood duck’s home range extends from southern regions of Canada,
distributed densely in the eastern half of the United States, and along the Pacific Coast (Hepp and

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New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

Bellrose 1995). In addition, wood ducks prefer to reside in ponds, lakes, or rivers with large open water
with lots of cover such as logs or bushes to hide from predators (Hepp and Bellrose 1995).

Figure 1: Map of United States Resident Status

Nicholson, C. P. 1997. Atlas of Breeding Birds of Tennessee. Univ. Tennessee Press, Knoxville.
Wood ducks live in close proximity to other waterfowl species such as the hooded merganser,
which is also a primarily freshwater dwelling and diving species that resides in the same bottomlands as
the wood duck. Since hooded mergansers also nest in tree cavities, wood duck hens have been observed
hatching hooded merganser offspring and vice versa (Dugger et al 2009). It is important to note that this
only occurs when a hen wood duck or hooded merganser abandons a clutch of eggs. While the two
species do compete for nesting sites, they do not fight for them.

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New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

Cavity Nesting
Wood ducks are considered a cavity nesting species meaning that they require a structure with a
hole in it at least four inches in diameter and adequate space, between two to fifteen feet in depth, to
incubate eggs for a period of time (Hepp and Bellrose 1995). Wood ducks will nest for over two months,
but they will only incubate their eggs for around one month (Hepp and Bellrose 1995). These cavity nests
must be at least two feet off of the ground for a wood duck to nest but the higher the nest the better as it
leaves the eggs less susceptible to ground dwelling predators. A nest must not be too high as wood duck
hatchlings leave the nest before they can fly. This means they must fall out of their cavity nest to reach the
ground. Any sort of injury during this process means certain death for a hatchling. Wood ducks do not
possess the biological features, like a sharp beak, to make their own cavity so they must search for their
own existing cavity. Most of the time, wood ducks use large, abandoned woodpecker cavity nests for their
own use or they find a hole in a tree caused by natural decomposition of the tree (Hepp and Bellrose
1995).
Wood ducks are known to display parasitism when choosing a nest which has also benefited their
population. Hens have been observed laying eggs in another hen’s cavity nest, so they raise chicks that are
not their biological offspring (Charlotte et al 2006). While this has benefitted the population as more
wood ducks are successfully being raised, the data coincides with an increase in nest abandonment and
low hatching success (Charlotte et al 2006). One factor believed to be causing this is warmer climates
resulting in varying incubation periods leading to thinner eggs and higher cavity temperatures (Charlotte
et al 2006). Nest abandonment decreases when there are plentiful cavity nesting locations and clutch sizes
do not exceed fifteen eggs (Charlotte et al 2006). “Semel et al. (1988) hypothesized that low reproductive
efficiency of box-nesting populations is related to unusual social conditions that result when females nest
in highly visible, closely spaced boxes.”

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New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

Figure 2: NJ Waterfowl Hunting Zones, found from NJ.gov

Nesting in Galloway
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the hotspot for wood duck sightings in southern
New Jersey is in Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Reserve, Stockton’s Atlantic City campus, and at
Birch Grove park in 2020. These areas have had at least one wood duck sighting in 2020, up to 22
individuals sighted by the same person. Some actions that can be taken to improve wood duck survival
and reproduction on Stockton University Galloway campus is to manage the forest, manage bodies of
water, and maintain wood duck nest boxes.
As seen in Figure 1, the wood duck is a permanent resident of New Jersey so they must have
suitable habitat for during the breeding and nonbreeding season. The wood ducks live in areas with
moderate ground coverage in early to mid-successional environments using vegetation and shrubs to hide
from predators (Hartke & Hepp, 2004). Before laying eggs, females will eat primarily plant vegetation,
but during and after nesting they will increase their consumption of invertebrates for protein and calcium
(Drobney and Fredrickson 1979). Since so much of their diet consists of aquatic vegetation, invertebrates,

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New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

and acorns, an effort should be made to maintain Lake Fred, Lake Pam, and the surrounding oak trees to
give them a suitable and consistent diet. Maintaining these areas could consist of performing water quality
checks, macroinvertebrate sampling, or performing routine burns to the forest.
The nesting box is constructed out of cedar wood because it is resistant to weather and insects,
but plywood and pine can also be used (Hepp & Bellrose, 1995). The blueprints for a box can be seen in
Appendix A, and it is suggested for the box to be able to be opened from the size and be rectangular. The
box must have an opening so it can be cleaned twice a year, the first after peek nesting and the other after
the breeding season to get the maximum uses out of the boxes (Hepp & Utsey, 1997). Another important
design factor that is seen in Appendix B is the guard partially up the pole where the box is mounted. Two
of the highest limiting factors for wood duck nest survival is the availability of nesting sites and the
predation of racoons (Bookhout & Robb, 1995). The guard and the rectangular shape of the box helps
prevent raccoons from climbing up to the nest and being able to reach in to grab eggs or ducklings. To
make sure the ducklings are safe, the best time to monitor the boxes would be during the breeding season
which is from April to August (Hepp & Utsey, 1997). However, it is important to not disturb the box
during the season, so it is best to observe the nesting box from a distance or with cameras.

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New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

Figure 3: Stockton University Galloway Campus Wood Duck Habitat map

Stockton University Galloway Campus​:

Stockton University’s Galloway campus offers about 955 acres of woodland with crown closer
greater than 50% and 495 acres of wetlands, this makes the campus an ideal habitat for the wood duck
(​Aix Sponsa)​. There are currently five wood duck boxes on campus; they are located in suitable habitat for
this species. However, one of the boxes is currently open on the top indicating that they might not be
tended to, therefore no longer functioning as quality nesting boxes (as seen in Appendix B). Hartkle and
Hepp (2004) found that radio marked breeding wood ducks were located less than 0.5 km (1640.42 feet),
with 68% were located less than 0.16 km (524.93 feet), from wetland shore lines. It is imperative that
wood duck nests are within a mile of wetland shorelines because they rely on invertebrates for 79% of

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New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

their food during egg production (Drobney and Fredrickson 1979). Wood ducks also prefer forests with
50-75% tree crown closure because it provides protection from predation and nest parasitism (Hepp and
Bellrose 2020). The map created depicts a forest area on campus with crown closure greater than 50%,
separated into two types: deciduous (bright green) and coniferous (dark green). Barred owl boxes were
included in the habitat map because barred owls are known predators of wood duck ducklings (Davis J. B.
et al. 2009). Berg and Eadie (2020) found that when new nesting boxes are added to an area habitat is a
higher contributing factor of nesting selection than social cues, suggesting that when given the chance
female wood ducks will choose an empty nest in a better habitat than to commit nest parasitism. When
considering locations for possible locations for new wood duck nesting boxes on campus, wooded areas
with more than 50% crown coverage, within 0.16 km from wetland shores, and far enough away from
current nesting boxes to reduce the rate of nest parasitism. It should be noted that boxes should be placed
facing the wetland but inconspicuous enough to provide protection from predation and parasitism.

Citations

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New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon. (2020). Species Maps: Wood Duck. eBrid. Retrieved from:
https://ebird.org/map/wooduc?neg=true&env.minX=&env.minY=&env.maxX=&env.maxY=&zh
=false&gp=false&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=range&byr=2020&eyr=2020

Berg, E. C. and Eadie, J. M. (2020). An experimental test of information use by wood ducks (​Aix sponsa​):
external habitat cues, not social visual cues, influence initial nest site selection. ​Behavioral
Ecology and Sociobiology.​ 74: 122

Bookhout, T., & Robb, J (1995). Factors Influencing Wood Duck Use of Natural Cavities. ​The Journal of
Wildlife Management,​ ​59(​ 2), 372-383. doi:10.2307/3808951

Charlotte L., Nielson R., Gates R., Parker P. (2006). Intraspecific Nest Parasitism of Wood Ducks in
Natural Cavities: Comparisons with Nest Boxes. ​The Journal of Wildlife Management​, ​70​(3),
835–843. ​https://doi.org/10.2193/0022-541X(2006)70[835:INPOWD]2.0.CO;2

Davis, J. B., Leopold, B.D., Kaminski, R.M., Cox, R.R. (2009). Wood duck duckling mortality and
habitat implications in floodplain systems. ​Wetlands.​ 29 (2): 607-614. doi:101672/08-136.1

Drobney, R. D. and Fredrickson, L. H. (1979) Food Selection by Wood Ducks in Relation to Breeding
Status. ​The Journal of Wildlife Management.​ vol 43. no. 1 pp 109-120. doi:10.2307/3800641.

Dugger, Bruce D., Dugger, Katie M., and Fredrickson, Leigh H . (2009). Hooded Merganser (​Lophodytes

cucullatus)​ , version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of

Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA.

Hartke, K., & Hepp, G. (2004). Habitat Use and Preferences of Breeding Female Wood Ducks. ​The
Journal of Wildlife Management,​ ​68​(1), 84-93. Retrieved October 18, 2020, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3803771

Hepp G. R., and Bellrose (1995). Wood Duck (​Aix sponsa)​ . The Birds of North America, No. 169 (A.

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Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American
Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

Hepp, G., & Bellrose, F. (2020, March 04). Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). Retrieved October 21, 2020, from
https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/wooduc/cur/introduction

Hepp, Gary R., & Hines, James E. (1991). Factors Affecting Winter Distribution and Migration Distance
of Wood Ducks from Southern Breeding Populations. The Condor (Los Angeles, Calif.), 93(4),
884–891. https://doi.org/10.2307/3247723

Hepp, G., Utsey, F. (1997). Frequency of Nest Box Maintenance: Effects on Wood Duck Nesting in
South
Carolina. ​The Journal of Wildlife Management,​ ​61(​ 3), 801-807. doi:10.2307/3802187

Kylm, M. (2003, April). State Parks Getaways - Texas Parks and Wildlife E-Newsletter. Retrieved
October 21, 2020, from ​https://tpwd.texas.gov/newsletters/state_parks_getaways/2009spring/article.phtml

Madge, S. (2010). ​Wildfowl An Identification Guide to the Ducks, Geese and Swans of the World.​ A&C
Black (62)

Sauer, J. R., D. K. Niven, J. E. Hines, D. J. Ziolkowski Jr., K. L. Pardieck, J. E. Fallon, and W. A. Link
(2017). The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966–2015. Version
2.07.2017. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA.

Semel, B., & Sherman, P. (1995). Alternative Placement Strategies for Wood Duck Nest Boxes. ​Wildlife

Society Bulletin (1973-2006),​ ​23​(3), 463-471. Retrieved October 21, 2020, from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3782956

Appendix A

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New Jersey Wood Duck Habits, Lifestyle, and Data

11

Source: Texas Fish and Wildlife

Appendix B

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