The Wood Duck is one 

 of our most beautiful 

 ducks 



extinction. Feather hunters persistently raided the 

 rookeries, killing the adults for their beautiful plumes 

 and leaving the young to starve. Today, you can visit many 

 refuges in the Southern States and see large rookeries of 

 these beautiful birds. 



Seeing a Roseate Spoonbill in its natural environment 

 is a thrilling experience, but in a few years this rare bird 

 probably will not be found outside of refuge areas. It is 

 decreasing in Florida and in Texas drilling for oil is 

 destroying its habitat. National wildlife refuges and Audubon 

 sanctuaries in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas protect 

 several colonies of these beautiful pink birds. The future 

 existence of the Spoonbill seems assured as long as it 

 remains on these protected lands. 



Formerly an abundant bird, the Wood Duck was reduced 

 almost to extinction in this century. Not only was it widely 

 hunted but it was also steadily losing places to live. Many 

 of its swamps were being drained and the woods in which 

 its nesting trees stood were being cut. So much concern 

 was felt for the Wood Duck that in 1918 it was placed on 

 the protected list and hunters could not legally kill it. By 

 1941 this duck had become numerous enough again that 

 hunters were permitted to take a limited number. Since the 

 1930's several national wildlife refuges have been de- 

 veloped in its range. Protected from overshooting and 

 given permanent and suitable places to live, the Wood Duck 

 is once more becoming a common bird in many of our 

 inland, swampy woodlands and tree-bordered streams. 



The Hudsonian Godwit, one of our rarer shorebirds, also 

 was a casualty of market-hunting days. Considering the 

 continuous and heavy shooting of the birds in those early 

 days as they migrated through our Great Plains, it is a 

 wonder any survived. Only in recent years has this long- 

 legged, long-billed bird begun to show an increase in its 

 numbers. In 1956, several hundred were seen on national 

 wildlife refuges in the Great Plains. The birds stopped 

 over to feed and rest before resuming their long flight to 

 northern nesting grounds. In common with other shore- 

 birds, the godwits are of great value to the farmer. They 

 feed heavily on mosquitoes, grasshoppers, crane-fly 

 larvae, and other insect pests of farm animals and crops. 



The future of our wildlife is in the hands of the Ameri- 

 can people. Constant vigilance and concerted action by all 

 conservationists and conservation organizations are nec- 

 essary if we are to succeed in saving and restoring our 

 endangered species of wildlife. 



American Egret 



Hudsonian Godwit 





Roseate Spoonbill 



