An Evaluation of June Wood Duck Banding in the Southern Atlantic Flyway

In waterfowl banding studies, the preseason banding period is commonly accepted as July through September; however, in an effort to increase Aix sponsa (Wood Duck) banding in the Atlantic Flyway, several state agency biologists have considered banding Wood Ducks in June. We analyzed existing Wood Duck banding data to determine if direct band-recovery rates of Wood Ducks banded in June differed from those banded during July—September. We calculated direct recovery rates by state, month, and year for 1998–2007 at selected states in the Atlantic Flyway. Arcsine-transformed direct band-recovery rates differed by month of banding (P = 0.0099; F = 3.973; df = 3, 111) and were lower in June than in July or August. We suggest that state or federal agencies conducting Wood Duck banding should spend their time and effort during the traditional banding period 1 July—30 September.