The House Government Operations Committee heard testimony on House Bill 4044 to designate the wood duck as Michigan’s official state duck. Representative Farhat sponsored the measure and introduced supporters from Ducks Unlimited who called the wood duck a symbol of successful conservation efforts.

Representative Farhat told the committee, “Michigan has a proud heritage of conservationist work of protecting our wetlands, of making sure that we have some of the best recreational spaces anywhere in America.” She framed the proposal as recognition of those conservation achievements and said she would defer to Ducks Unlimited on species-specific questions.

Craig Leslie, a Ducks Unlimited volunteer, said the wood duck’s population rebounded after near-extirpation and described the species’ comeback as a conservation success. “Wood ducks have, going from nearly extinct in The United States, have made a huge comeback thanks to the work of, biologists, Ducks Unlimited and others,” Leslie said. Leslie told the committee the wood duck is now the second-most-harvested duck in Michigan after the mallard and that only one other state, Mississippi, currently designates a state duck.

Leslie also said the Ducks Unlimited volunteers surveyed chapter-level leaders who overwhelmingly supported the wood duck proposal; he noted about 44,000 duck hunting licenses were sold in Michigan in the most recent data the organization referenced. Committee members asked about the selection process and whether other species had been considered; Leslie said the chapter leaders were asked to pick one species and the wood duck “bubbled to the top.”

Committee members did not challenge the conservation facts presented but asked procedural questions about prior attempts to name state animals and about the scope of Ducks Unlimited’s outreach. The committee later voted to report House Bill 4044 with recommendation.

If enacted, the bill would add the wood duck to the list of state symbols; the committee forwarded the measure to the next stage for consideration by the full House.