Aix sponsa
The Wood Duck, *Aix sponsa*, is arguably one of North America's most stunning waterfowl, famed for the male's iridescent plumage. Males boast a crested green-purple head, a distinctive white line tracing from the eye to the nape, a brilliant red eye, and chestnut flanks contrasting with a white belly. Females, though less flamboyant, are elegantly marked with a striking white tear-drop eye-ring and a mottled brown body. This medium-sized duck measures 47-54 cm (19-21 in) in length with a wing...
Found in wooded wetlands, swamps, bottomland forests, and along slow-moving rivers and streams, Wood Ducks prefer shallow, calm water with dense aquatic vegetation and mature trees for nesting.
Their diet is omnivorous, primarily consisting of acorns, seeds, berries, aquatic vegetation, and a variety of insects, with a strong reliance on terrestrial plant matter.
Wood Ducks are primarily diurnal, often crepuscular, and are adept at perching in trees, where they frequently roost communally. They forage by dabbling on the water's surface or upending in shallow water, and also walk on land to feed on acorns. During courtship, males perform elaborate displays...
The Wood Duck boasts a broad distribution across North America, with a primary breeding range spanning much of eastern North America, from the Canadian Maritimes west to Manitoba, south through the entire eastern half of the U.S. to Florida and eastern Texas. A distinct, smaller breeding populati...
Least Concern
- The Wood Duck is one of the few duck species in North America known to produce two broods in a single nesting season. - Ducklings are capable of leaping from nest cavities as high as 50 feet (15 meters) or more, just 24 hours after hatching, guided by their mother's calls. - Its scientific name...