That's pretty much a given among bird lovers, and that alone makes this duck so appreciated.

But there is so much more to the wood duck. For example, they are the only ones on the continent to be members of their genus; they have an unusually large tail for a waterfowl; they helped defeat German U-boats in World War I; and the species that was once given up as lost has staged a momentous comeback.

Greg Hoch gives us that whole picture and more in his new book With Wings Extended: A Leap Into the Wood Duck's World. Its a true treat to read in this often dark time of coronavirus and roiling politics. Its a success story that shows we can help endangered species.

The author is a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources prairie habitat supervisor and author of books on the greater prairie chicken and woodcock. In his third book, he brings us into the world of a duck we have been seeing more and more around here, and which hunters relish putting in the bag. In some states, its the most common duck shot.

He mostly uses research from many other sources, some going back to the 1800s; the bibliography covers 18 pages.

Here are some things Hoch found through his research:

He encourages people to get involved, often by making boxes. That might be one of the great benefits of the book it not only lays out the past problems, but also ways people can help today. We can do it by ourselves or in civic and scout groups.

It cant stop there, however, Hoch writes. If nest boxes are a gateway, the gateway must lead to other involvement.

That could be recording how many birds are fledged, funding conservation groups, talking with politicians, or volunteering to help wildlife agencies.

Wood ducks allow us into their lives as few other wildlife and almost no other duck allow, he writes.

The ducks will live close to people, often in towns or next to homes, when nesting. But their living habitat tends to be messy, swampy, buggy and muddy, so be prepared to get wet.

Hoch concludes: Go find the place where your wood duck drake rests in his beauty.

See more here:

Book review: There's so much more to the beautiful wood duck - PostBulletin.com