The Wood Duck is a secretive cavity-nesting species commonly found in swamps, marshes, and riparian habitats in Canada. In Canada, it breeds primarily in the eastern provinces, including in Ontario, Quebec, and New Brunswick. In western Canada, the breeding population is small and scattered in locations between southern British Columbia and the extreme southwest of Alberta. Once threatened with extinction, the population of this species is now stable or increasing in Canada. As a result of this recovery, the Wood Duck now ranks as one of the most abundant duck species in both southern Ontario and southern Quebec. Harvest levels have declined compared to levels in the 1980s, but have been stable in the last decade. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.
During the late 1800s to the early 1900s, extinction of the Wood Duck appeared imminent. The destruction of hardwood forests and overharvesting from hunting were the two major factors that contributed to the species’ decline (Baldassarre 2014). A complete ban on the Wood Duck hunt was in place between 1918 and 1941. The Wood Duck population recovered, and thus the hunt was reopened in 1941. The population is currently increasing or stable throughout much of the species’ range, based on recent various breeding bird atlases in eastern Canada and northeastern United States (Baldassarre 2014; Zimmerman et al. 2015).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.
