Fall food habits of wood ducks from Lake Marion, South Carolina

A total of 108 stomachs of wood ducks (Aix sponsa) collected from hunters on the upper end of Lake Marion, South Carolina, between November 29 and December 6, 1961, were examined for information on food habits. Six plants made up over 98 percent of the total volume. Five were tree fruits: water and pin oak (Quercus nigra and Q. palustris), baldcypress (Taxodium distichum), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), and water hickory (Carya aquatica). The sixth important food was corn (Zea mays). In areas being managed for wood ducks and timber, therefore, these tree species should not be removed.