Dimensions: 24-1/4"
high x 11" wide x 15" deep
|
Wood
duck houses are most successful when
placed over water but can also be place
in woodland habitat up to half-a-mile
from open water and should be mounted on
a post 6 to 8 feet high with the entrance
hole facing south or west. Protecting
previously used nests is very important.
Once successful, a female will nest in
the same cavity year after year. This
Wood Duck House opens two ways for
observation and cleaning, and has an
internal ladder for the ducklings to
climb out. Wood chips are included for
nesting material.
Wood Ducks are found in eastern North
America from southern Canada to the
southern coast of the United States. They
are also found along parts of North
America's West Coast. Woodland streams or
pools, forest bottomlands, river valleys,
swamps, marshes, lakes, and creeks are
all typical Wood Duck habitat. The
breeding season begins in April in the
southern portion of the range. In
northern areas, Wood Ducks arrive on the
breeding ground soon after the ice thaws,
usually in early May. Young Wood Ducks
are precocial, meaning that after
hatching they are mobile, completely
covered with down, and capable of finding
their own food. They are brooded by their
mother the day after hatching. After 26
to 36 hours, the female remains outside
the cavity and beckons for the young.
Using their sharp claws, the young climb
out of the cavity to join her and follow
her to water. |
