Population status

Wood Duck
(Aix sponsa)

Estimating the breeding population of Wood Duck is difficult because of the species’ elusive behaviour and its use of densely vegetated habitats. This results in a low detectability of birds from traditional fixed-wing surveys. Helicopter surveys and ground-based surveys provide better estimates, but broad range data are less available. Targeted waterfowl surveys are conducted in southern Ontario and southern Quebec to provide information on local breeding populations. Populations in both provinces are increasing significantly. Both populations of the Wood Duck are at an acceptable level relative to their national population goals. Detailed information on the population status of waterfowl species is available in the Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada report (summarized version). To obtain a copy of the full version of this report, including tables and graphs, please contact ec.scf-oismiggibiers-cws-miggamebirds.ec@canada.ca.

Population goal and acceptable levels of variation

Species/group	Goal	Lower level	Upper level
Canada	Not applicable	Not applicable	Not applicable
Eastern Population	Long-term average of the time series	10th percentile of observed abundance (1970-2012)	Not applicable
Western Population	Long-term average of the time series	10th percentile of observed abundance (1970-2012)	Not applicable

Southern Ontario Waterfowl Plot Survey

Additional information on: Southern Ontario Waterfowl Plot Survey

View definitions of table column headings being used by: Southern Ontario Waterfowl Plot Survey

Table 1: Population trends by geographic area
Geographic area	Time Period	Annual trend ^{Table 1 - footnote 1} ^{Table 1 - footnote 2}	Limits
Geographic area	Time Period		Lower	Upper
Southern Ontario Select to view graph of the geographic area: Southern Ontario 1971-2017; Southern Ontario Waterfowl Plot Survey	1971-2017	10.1	7.5	12.9

St-Lawrence Lowland Breeding Waterfowl Survey

Additional information on: St-Lawrence Lowland Breeding Waterfowl Survey

View definitions of table column headings being used by: St-Lawrence Lowland Breeding Waterfowl Survey

Table 2: Population trends by geographic area
Geographic area	Time Period	Annual Trend ^{Table 2 - footnote 1}	Limits
Geographic area	Time Period	Annual Trend ^{Table 2 - footnote 1}	Lower	Upper
Quebec St-Lawrence Lowlands Select to view graph of the geographic area: Quebec St-Lawrence Lowlands 2004-2017; St-Lawrence Lowland Breeding Waterfowl Survey	2004-2017	10	6	14

References

Baldassarre, G. 2014. Ducks, Geese, and Swans of North America. Volume 2. Wildlife Management Institute, Johns Hopkins University Press, Washington, D.C. 1027 pp.
Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Waterfowl Committee. 2017. Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada: November 2017. CWS Migratory Birds Regulatory Report Number 49. 221 pp. Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) Waterfowl Committee. 2017. Population Status of Migratory Game Birds in Canada: November 2017. CWS Migratory Birds Regulatory Report Number 49. 221 pp. (Link)
Zimmerman, G.S., J.R. Sauer, K. Fleming, W.A. Link, and P.R. Garrettson. 2015. Combining waterfowl and Breeding Bird Survey data to estimate Wood Duck breeding population size in the Atlantic Flyway. Journal of Wildlife Management 79:1051-1061. Zimmerman, G.S., J.R. Sauer, K. Fleming, W.A. Link, and P.R. Garrettson. 2015. Combining waterfowl and Breeding Bird Survey data to estimate Wood Duck breeding population size in the Atlantic Flyway. Journal of Wildlife Management 79:1051-1061. (Link)