Abstract
Mortality of wood ducklings (Aix sponsa) from hatching to 6 weeks of age averaged 47 percent during a 4-year study at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. Over 90 percent of the total mortality occurred during the first 2 weeks of life. Brood bonds began to dissolve after the fifth week. Mortality after 2 weeks was so low that Class II broods were believed to provide reliable estimates of production to flying age. Once-a-week brood censuses proved unreliable in estimating survival, but twice-a-week counts were accurate enough to estimate total broods and survival to Class II age. This paper reports on a study designed to ascertain survival of wood ducks from hatching to flying. In the past, wood-duck production studies have emphasized nest use and success while providing only limited information on survival after hatching and practically no assessment of reliability of brood observations (Grice and Rogers 1965, Klein 1955, Decker 1959, Dreis and Hendrickson 1952, and Schreiner and Hendrickson 1951).
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