 Breeding evidence |
||
Click for a larger version or to add map overlays |
||
Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
|
Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
|
4.91 (2.06 - 7.67)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Atlas Results
Wood Ducks were reported from 117 squares with the bulk of observations occurring in the Boreal Transition and Aspen Parkland ecoregions, and scattered records in the Moist Mixed and Mixed Grasslands in association with riparian areas. Of note, breeding was confirmed in 7 squares along the South Saskatchewan River from the Alberta border to Miry Bay during a 2020 river expedition, indicating that they appear to be well established in the area as suggested in the Birds of Saskatchewan.
Note: During all years of the Saskatchewan Breeding Bird Atlas drought conditions persisted and the Atlas range maps for all waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland-associated species should be viewed as characteristic of distribution and abundance during dry conditions. Read the full drought statement here.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The Wood Duck drake is probably the most beautiful of all North American ducks. An agile flier, this species easily weaves through trees in riparian areas. The Wood Duck breeds from southern British Columbia across southern Canada to the Maritimes, south to central California and southern Florida and Cuba. It winters throughout much of its breeding range in western North America, although not in Saskatchewan, and primarily in the southern portions of its breeding range in eastern North America.
Breeding birds often are found on wooded streams and rivers, and in flooded woodlands. Non-breeding, migrant, or moulting birds can occur on wetlands with treeless shorelines.
As breeding birds, Wood Ducks are uncommon and local, their numbers decreasing from east to west. Breeding occurs mainly in the Saskatchewan River lowlands and along the Qu'Appelle and Souris Rivers, but nestboxes have extended its range to include Wascana and White Bear Lakes (Wilma Lothian Saskbirds 4885). Sightings in 1998, 2000, and 2008 (R. Dudragne Saskbirds 15437) suggest a small but established population in the Estuary area. Possible breeding has occurred northwest to Pike Lake, St Walburg, and Turtle Lake (Smith 1996). Records across the rest of southern Saskatchewan involve non-breeding, migrating, and occasional moulting birds.
Original text by Ross D. Dickson. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Wood Duck in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Wood Duck in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=WODU&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
| Previous species: Trumpeter Swan | Table of Contents | Next species: Blue-winged Teal |