Wood Duck

Wood Duck, male, breeding plumage

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Wood Duck, female, Iroquois NWR NY

Wood Duck, male, non-breeding plumage

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A colorful duck of wooded swamps and streamsides, the Wood Duck is one of only a few North American ducks that nest in trees. Many people consider it to be the most beautiful of all waterfowl.

Description

• Medium-sized duck.
• Crest on head.
• Long tail.
• White patches in face.

• Size: 47-54 cm (19-21 in)
• Wingspan: 66-73 cm (26-29 in)
• Weight: 454-862 g (16.03-30.43 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male brightly patterned, female dull gray brown.

Sound

Female makes loud "oo-eek, oo-eek" when disturbed and taking flight. Male has thin, rising and falling zeeting whistle.

Conservation Status

Declined dramatically in late 19th century, but recovered in 20th. Current populations stable or increasing.

Other Names

Canard branchu (French)
Pato de charreteras (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Natural cavities for nesting are scarce, and the Wood Duck readily uses nest boxes provided for it. If nest boxes are placed too close together, many females lay eggs in the nests of other females. These "dump" nests can have up to 40 eggs.

• The Wood Duck nests in trees near water, sometimes directly over water, but other times up to 2 km (1.2 mi) away. After hatching, the ducklings jump down from the nest tree and make their way to water. The mother calls them to her, but does not help them in any way. The ducklings may jump from heights of up to 89 m (290 ft) without injury.

• The Wood Duck is a popular game bird, and is second only to the Mallard in numbers shot each year in the United States.

• Wood Ducks pair up in January, and most birds arriving at the breeding grounds in the spring are already paired. The Wood Duck is the only North American duck that regularly produces two broods in one year.

Sources used to construct this page:

Hepp, G. R., and F. C. Bellrose. 1995. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). In The Birds of North America, No. 169 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.