A Starling-Deterrent Wood Duck Nest Box

Abstract

In many parts of the United States, the starling (Sturnus vulgarts) has become a serious competitor for nest boxes erected for wood ducks (Aix sponsa). Research at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center and at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge near Rock Hall, Maryland, demonstrated that horizontal nest structures with se.micircular entrance holes 11 inches in diameter were acceptable to nesting wood ducks but discouraged nesting by starlings. Starlings seemed to prefer boxes in open impoundments to those in wooded impoundments, whereas wood ducks seemed to show no preference. WOOD DUCK NEST BOX * McGilvrey and Uhler 793 BRECKF.NRIDGE, W. J. 1947. Wood ducks versus squirrels. Auk 64 ( 4 ) :621. CUNNINGHAM, E. R. 1969 ( 1968 ) . A three year study o£ the wood duck on the Yazoo National Wildlife Refuge. Proc. Southeastern ASSOC. Game and Fish Commissioners Conf. 22:145155. DECKER, E. 19S9. A 4-year study of wood ducks on a Pennsylvania marsh. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 23( 3) :31s315. GRICE, D., AND J. P. ROGERS. 1965. The wood duck in Massachusetts. Massachusetts Div. Fisheries and Game, Boston. 96pp. GYSEL, L. W. 1961. An ecological study of tree cavities and ground burrows in forest stands. J. Wildl. Mgmt. 25 ( 1 ) :12-20. LACK, D. 1954. The natural regulation of animal numbers. Clarendon Press, Oxford. 343pp. LLEWELLYN, L. M., AND C. G WEBSTE:R. 1960. Raccoon predation on waterfowl. Trans. N. Am. Wildl. and Nat. Resources Conf. 25:18> 185. MCLAUGHLIN C. L., AND D. GRICE. 1952. The effectiveness of large-scale erection of wood duck boxes as a management procedure. Trans. N. Am. Wildl. Conf. 17:24b259. MILLEZ, W. R. 19152. Aspects of wood duck nesting box management. Trans. Northeastern Fish and Wildl. Conf. 8. Opp. Mimeo. MORSE, T. E., AND H. M. WIGHT. 1969. Dump nesting and its effect on production in wood ducks. J. Wildl. Mgnt. 33 ( 2 ) :28s2923. NICE, MARGAREr M. 1957. Nesting success in altricial birds. Auk 74 ( 3 ): 309321. STEWART, P. A. l9S7. The wood duck, Aix sponsa ( Linnaeus ), and its management. Ph. D. Thesis. Ohio State Univ. 372pp. WEBST, C. G. 1955. Hatching of wood duck eggs after abandonment. Wilson Bull. 67(4): 306. WEIER, R. W. 1968 ( 1965 ) . A survey of wood duck nest sites on Mingo National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Missouri. Pages 91-108. In Wood duck management and research: a symposium. Wildlife Management Institute, Washington, D. C. 212pp. Received for publication June 8, 1970. Programs that provide nesting struotures for wood ducks have become increasingly popular with !both sltate and federal oonservation agencies as well as with private organizations and individuals. Such programs are responsible for increasled wood duck populations locally and ereby enhance public enjoyment olf this splendid waterfowl. However, as poinlted out by Bellrose (1955), Webster and Uhler (1964:11), Grice and Rogers ( 1965 ), and Bellrose and MlcGilvrey (1966), predation on nests or oompetition for boxes can nullify the value of these programs, Over the years, a vertical l}ox, 12 inches in diameter and 24 inches in length, wilth a 3x 4-inch entrance near the top has evolved as the nest box preferre,d by wood ducks. Unfortunately, the box tha,t is ideal oltherwise for the wood duck is also preferred by the starling. This exotic nuisance has beme a serilous competi!tor for nest boxes ,throughThis content downloaded from 207.46.13.114 on Thu, 26 May 2016 06:20:12 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 794 Journal of Wildlife Management, Vol. 3S, No. 4, October 1971 inches in diameter; it was made of metal or of wire netting covered with roofing paper and had wooden ends (Fig. 1). To determine acceptability to ducks and starlings, entrances of the following sizes and shapes were tested: 1963 all semicircular, 4 x 11 inches; 1964 all wedge-shaped, 3 x 4 inches; 196Whalf 4 x 11 inches and half 6 x 7 inches; 196S1970 all semicircular, 4 x 11 in-