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Committee advances bill to name wood duck Michigan's official state duck
Summary
The Michigan House Government Operations Committee advanced House Bill 4044 to designate the wood duck as the state's official duck after supporters described the species'conservation comeback and cultural value.
The Michigan House Government Operations Committee on Wednesday reported House Bill 4044 with a recommendation after supporters described the wood duck as a local conservation success story and urged the committee to adopt the designation.
Representative Farhat, sponsor of House Bill 4044, told the committee that "the wood duck is a remarkable story of conservation," and framed the proposal as a way to honor Michigan's wetland-protection work and outdoor recreation heritage.
The bill received testimony from volunteers and conservationists affiliated with Ducks Unlimited. Craig Leslie, identifying himself as a Ducks Unlimited volunteer, said the wood duck "have made a huge comeback" from near-extirpation and that it is now "the second most harvested duck in Michigan after the mallard." A second testifier, identified in the record as a conservationist, described the species'unique nesting behavior in tree cavities and the role of nesting boxes and habitat restoration in the species'recovery.
Supporters told the committee Ducks Unlimited leaders backed the designation after a chapter-level vote of volunteers; the group also cited recent Michigan hunting-license counts. Testimony noted that 44,000 duck licenses were sold in Michigan in the most recent reporting year but said the group's internal vote was taken among chapter-level volunteers rather than a random scientific sample.
Representative Fitzgerald asked about precedent and how other states chose official birds; witnesses said only one other state currently lists a state duck (Mississippi, which also designates the wood duck). No statutory citations or funding requirements were discussed in testimony.
On a motion to report House Bill 4044 with a recommendation, Representative VanderWaal moved to advance the bill. The roll call recorded the following votes: Chair Vergolz, yes; Representative Harris, yes; Representative VanderWaal, yes; Representative Fitzgerald, yes; Representative McFall, yes. The clerk recorded the tally as 5 yays, 0 nays, 0 pass. The motion prevailed and the bill was reported with recommendation.
The bill now moves to the next step in the House process; no effective date or further action timeline was specified in committee testimony.
