A management investigation was initiated on Savannah National Wildlife Refuge in 1965 to determine the feasibility of producing pen-reared wood ducks, imprinted to artificial nesting structures, for use in starting new nesting colonies. To date 780 young woodies, imprinted to nest in nest boxes, have been produced, transferred, and released on six national wildlife refuges in Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina. Nesting in artificial structures had not previously occurred on three of these refuges. Transplanted birds nested in boxes on four of the release sites the first nesting season after release, including three refuges with no history of nest box use. The second season after release over 50 nesting attempts occurred on one refuge that had no previous use of nest boxes by wood ducks.
