Aix sponsa
Status: Common regular spring and fall migrant east, fairly common west. Common regular breeder east and central, uncommon west. Rare regular winter visitor south and east, rare casual north and west.
Documentation: Specimen: WSC 33, Oct 1971 Antelope Co.
Taxonomy: No subspecies are recognized (Gill et al 2022).
Changes since 2000: The number of Wood Ducks breeding in Nebraska has increased markedly, primarily westward, continuing a trend that began in the 1970s; Rosche (1982) noted that Wood Duck had increased since 1976 in the Panhandle. At the same time, mid-winter records have become more numerous. The species was greatly reduced by the early 1900s but is now estimated to number some 3,000,000 total individuals (Baldassarre 2014). BBS trend analysis for Nebraska shows a 6.26% (95% C.I.; 3.32, 9.26) increase 1966-2015 and a 7.40% (95% C.I.; 0.64, 15.53) increase 2005-2015 (Sauer et al 2017).
Spring: Feb 10, 12, 12 <<<>>> summer
Arrivals are concentrated in mid-Mar, coincident with the spring thaw; numbers peak mid-Mar through mid-Apr.
- High counts: 100 at Fontenelle Forest, Sarpy Co 17 Mar 2013, 84 at Cunningham Lake, Douglas Co 24 Mar 1996, 78 at DeSoto NWR, Washington Co 10 Apr 2021, 67 at North Platte NWR, Scotts Bluff Co 16 Apr 1997, and 65 at Boyer Chute NWR, Washington Co 20 Mar 2017.
Summer: Breeding densities are traditionally associated with the availability of wetlands and tree cavities for nest sites and thus numbers are highest in the east and south. Lowest densities occur in relatively treeless areas of the western Sandhills, Panhandle and Southwest. Placement of artificial nest boxes, especially during the latter part of the 20th Century, along with maturation of riparian habitat in central and western Nebraska, has contributed to the increases in numbers and expansion in range. The first reported nesting in the Panhandle was of two nests, each with nine eggs, in nest boxes 23 Jul 1983 in Scotts Bluff Co (Alice Kenitz; Mollhoff 2022).
Most Wood Ducks breed at one year of age, but late nesting in the prior year may delay maturity and result in a skipped breeding season; this scenario may account for large numbers of apparent non-breeders in Jun, such as the 153 at Verdel Landing, Knox Co 2 Jun 2019. Earliest broods appear in early May, and flight is not achieved in Nebraska broods until mid-Jul.
- High counts: 194 at Jack Sinn Memorial WMA, Lancaster Co 15 Jul 2012, 153 at Verdel Landing, Knox Co 2 Jun 2019, 98 at North Platte NWR, Scotts Bluff Co 17 Jul 1995, 92 at Cunningham Lake, Douglas Co 16 Jul 2021, 90 at North Platte NWR 25 Jun 1997, and 90 at Wood Duck WMA, Stanton Co 17 Jul 2021.
Breeding phenology:
Courting: 23 Mar
Inspecting nest sites: 10 Apr
Incubation: 14 Apr
Copulation: 13 Apr
Eggs: 5 May-23 Jul (Mollhoff 2022)
Broods: 30 Apr-22 Aug.
Fall: summer <<<>>> Jan 7, 8, 10
Flocks form in Aug as juveniles mature, such as the 74 at Crystal Cove Lake, Dakota Co 14 Aug 2024, 67 at Glenn Cunningham Lake, Douglas Co 2 Aug 2023, 60 at North Platte WTP, Lincoln Co 1 Aug 2023, and 60-65 at Box Butte Reservoir, Dawes Co 12-22 Aug 1994. Departure dates are clustered in Oct, although individuals linger into Dec and straggle into early Jan away from wintering areas. A group of 16 in Lancaster Co 10 Jan 2016 was late for that number.
- High counts: 417 near Neligh, Antelope Co 20 Oct 2020, 228 at Milford, Seward Co 2 Nov 2023, 143 at Glenn Cunningham Lake, Douglas Co 14 Sep 2022, 118 at a Butler Co wetland 28 Aug 2020, 117 at North Platte NWR 30 Oct 1997, 109 there 10 Sep 1998, and 107 at 234th St Wetlands, Douglas Co 15 Oct 2017.
Winter: Wood Ducks rarely overwinter, but individuals occasionally can be found with wintering ducks and geese on available open water at reservoirs and parks, usually in the south and southeast. Pier Park in Grand Island, Hall Co has hosted as many as 46 as late as the 15 Dec 2012 Grand Island CBC, and 10-20 survived each of the winters 2012-2013, 2013-2014, and 2014-2015 but only one was reported there 2018-2019, on 8 Jan, none 2019-2020, but up to eight as late as 3 Jan 2021 and eight on 4 Feb 2024. Other locations with multiple records are Lakeside Park, Douglas Co, where 10 wintered 2016-2017 and several have lingered into early Feb since 2012; four were there 9 Feb 2013, three on 3 Feb 2019, and as many as five 3 Jan-26 Feb 2021. Also in Douglas Co, three were at Heron Haven 26 Jan-2 Feb 2018 and one was at Flanagan Lake 20 Jan 2019. In Lancaster Co in 2018, as many as 16 lingered through 6 Feb at Branched Oak Lake and 1-2 were on Salt Creek trough 8 Feb. One was on Salt Creek 12 Jan 2017. Also in Lancaster Co, two were at Pawnee Lake 9 Jan 2020, one at Pioneers Park 16 Jan 2016, and two at Shoemaker Marsh 10 Feb 2016. Dodge Co also has multiple records; two from 12-20 Jan 2012, 3 Jan 2017, and 5 Feb 2019.
Additional mid-winter (11 Jan-11 Feb) records from the southeast are of an apparently injured male in Jefferson Co 28 Dec 2022-29 Jan 2023, 2-3 from 9 Jan-1 Feb 2012 Douglas Co, two in Cass Co 19 Jan 2013, one in Adams Co 3 Feb 2013, and singles at Carter Lake, Douglas Co 3 Feb 2020, 5 Feb 2003, and 5 Feb 2005.
Away from the south and east, there are few reports 6 Jan-11 Feb: 9 Jan 2006 Morrill Co, 11 Jan 2014 Scotts Bluff Co, 11 Jan-15 Feb 2003 Scotts Bluff Co, 18 Jan 2018 Lincoln Co, 21 Jan 2011 at Broken Bow, Custer Co, 31 Jan 2017 Hayes Co, 2 Feb 1997 and 21 Jan 2024 (5) Harlan Co Reservoir, Harlan Co, 1 Feb (2) 2024 Heartland of America Park, Douglas Co, and 3 Feb 1985 Boone Co.
Images
Abbreviations
BBS: Breeding Bird Survey
CBC: Christmas Bird Count
NWR: National Wildlife Refuge
WMA: Waterfowl Management Area (State)
WSC: Wayne State College
Literature Cited
Baldassarre, G. 2014. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.
Gill, F., D. Donsker, and P. Rasmussen (Eds). 2022. IOC World Bird List (v 12.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.12.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
Mollhoff, W.J. 2022. Nest records of Nebraska birds. Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Occasional Paper Number 9.
Rosche, R.C. 1982. Birds of northwestern Nebraska and southwestern South Dakota, an annotated checklist. Cottonwood Press, Crawford, Nebraska, USA.
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 (Nebraska). Version 2.07. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland, USA.
Recommended Citation
Silcock, W.R., and J.G. Jorgensen. 2024. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). In Birds of Nebraska — Online. www.BirdsofNebraska.org
Birds of Nebraska – Online
Updated 1 Dec 2024