Wood Ducks

You can legally keep them in Tenn. I have some! You do have to have a permit if it is a native bird to your area. If you purchase birds from someone, they transfer the permit # to you.
 
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The first one is a wood duck drake.........the second pic are mandarins. The hens look almost identical.
 
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The feds would manage whether you are allowed to have them at all, since they are a migratory bird, but each state has it's own laws about what animals are allowed to be kepts as domestic pets and what aren't. This is mostly to prevent invasion of unwanted species and cross-breeding with wild species. Most of the lower 48 states have similar laws, particilarly those in a particular geographic region. The coastal states seem to have stricter laws, since so many more animals can come and go from their ports, and Alaska and Hawaii have very strict laws. So definitely check with your state. Usually the Department of Natural Resources or your Fish and Game reps can tell you the laws.
 
Hi Kim

Here is my experience with wood ducks and other native waterfowl.

We raise Wood Ducks at our farm in Wisconsin and our ranch in South Dakota, both states require a STATE LICENSE to own wood ducks.

In Both states you can own & breed them with the state license. In WI it is called a Captive Wildlife permit. In SD it is called a gamebird license- which has 2 classes- private & commercial; you need the private license to keep birds or the commercial license if you will be selling any birds.

In addition to the state license- IF YOU ARE GOING TO SELL, GIVE, TRADE (any form of transfer) which includes- eggs, babies or birds, you then need the FEDERAL WATERFOWL PERMIT.

You do not need a permit to own them as long as you have the documentation (USFWS Form 3-186) that you legally obtained the birds and they have been marked per law (either a pinion, toe clip or close-band). If you are to get rid of the birds or rear any young, a permit is required.

You should check with your state, as our customers in various states across the country have the same requirements as us. The permit/license may just have a different name. The USFWS (United States Fish & Wildlife Service) Form is for transfering birds from one owner to another- BUT the permit number does not transfer to you. Each person needs their own permit.

Basically---- we can keep & rear young just under the state permit, but need the federal permit to transfer any.

Kim- You stated that you have a gamebird license for quail- does your renewal have a section for additions? as this would probably include the waterfowl also. We have the following listed on our permits:

Pheasants
Swans
Ducks
Geese
Francolins
Partridge
Quail
Crane
Pigeons & Doves
Grouse
Prairie Chickens
Curassows
Coots

Wood Ducks- also come in a few colors- normal (wild color), apricot, white & silver.

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WOOD DUCK DRAKE

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MANDARIN DRAKES, MANDARIN HEN, WOOD DUCK HEN, WOOD DUCK DRAKE
Mandarin & wood duck hens do look similar- but a mandarin hen has a white line on the face behind the eye where a wood duck hen has a larger white ring around the eye.

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SILVER WOOD DUCK DRAKE

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SILVER & WHITE WOOD DUCK DRAKES


Hope this was helpful,

Randy www.spectrumranch.net
 
Awwwwwwwwwww they are so cute
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i am in love with wood ducks
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the white wood ducks are very very cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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So what happens for those "rescue ducklings"? We had two show up in our yard and they couldn't have been over a few days old. No ponds, lakes or streams super close. It never dawned on me that they were wild wood ducks until the one survivor started feathering out and we realized we really have a wood duck (a bird I have admired since a small child and saw my first picture in my science book). (I know this is an old thread...just looking for suggestions.
 
So what happens for those "rescue ducklings"? We had two show up in our yard and they couldn't have been over a few days old. No ponds, lakes or streams super close. It never dawned on me that they were wild wood ducks until the one survivor started feathering out and we realized we really have a wood duck (a bird I have admired since a small child and saw my first picture in my science book). (I know this is an old thread...just looking for suggestions.

You probably had a female wood duck nesting in a tree close by they will nest 30'up in the tree and then when ducklings hatch the mama will go to water and call her ducklings they will jump from that nest to the ground, it's really cool if you get a chance look up Ducktopia on PBS it's a story of a Mama Wood duck and ducklings. I think you still need to have a permit to keep Wood Ducks and probably would have to give up your survivor if Game and Fish found out.you can probably go to your state wild life commission on line and find out details.
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