Difference in Migration Distances of Wood Ducks Banded in Pennsylvania Based on Sex

• Lydia Gladfelter

  Juniata College

  Author

• Jack Johnson

  Juniata College

  Author

• Olivia Marker

  Juniata College

  Author

• Hunter Price

  Juniata College

  Author

• Jairus Werner

  Juniata College

  Author

The Wood Duck, scientifically termed Aix sponsa, is commonly found throughout the northern parts of the United States but is one of the few duck species that migrates south during the winter months to escape cold temperatures. They typically migrate to Florida and other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico but have also been known to travel as far as Mexico and Cuba. For our study, we predicted that males would travel farther distances than females. To test our hypothesis, we used band-recovery data from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. To determine whether there was a difference in the distances migrated between male and female Wood Ducks, we conducted a two-sample t-test with assumed equal variance. Our results concluded that there is a statistical difference in the distances traveled between male and female Wood Ducks, which supports our hypothesis. However, further studies need to be done to determine why male Wood Ducks migrate further.

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