Duck decoy (structure)

A duck decoy is a device to capture wild ducks or other species of waterfowl. Formerly the birds were slaughtered and used for food. More recently they have also been used for ornithological research.

The word decoy is derived from the Dutch word eendenkooi, which means "duck-cage";Chambers Dictionary suggests Dutch de kooi = "the cage".

As finally developed the decoy consisted of a pool of water leading from which are from one to eight curving, tapering ditches. Over each ditch is series of hoops, initially made from wood, later from iron, which diminish in size as the ditch tapers. The hoops are covered in netting. The combination of ditch and net-covered hoop is known as a pipe. On the outside curve of the pipe, for two-thirds of its length, are overlapping screens.

There are two methods of working a duck decoy, dogging or feeding.

Ducks are naturally curious and when they see a predator, such as a fox, they will keep it at a distance, but tend to follow it. The decoy man uses a dog, preferably a breed similar in appearance to a fox, to lure the ducks along the pipes. For this purpose in the sixteenth century in the Netherlands the kooikerhondje breed was developed. The dog appears between a gap in the screens and the ducks approach. It then appears at the next gap further along the pipe, and so on until the ducks are trapped at the end of the pipe.

The decoyman walks behind the screens, throwing grain or other food over them while keeping out of sight. The ducks follow, eating the food, and are caught at the end of the pipe.

In the mid-1880s there were 41 decoys still in operation in England, and 145 which were no longer in use. Today there are only a few remaining duck decoys in England. These include Hale Duck Decoy in Cheshire, administered by Halton Borough Council,Boarstall Duck Decoy near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, owned and administered by the National Trust, and a decoy in Abbotsbury Swannery, Dorset.

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