Wood duck
The wood duck is a notably colorful species of duck native to the eastern United States, recognized for its striking plumage, particularly the male, which boasts a glossy crest and a vibrant mix of green, blue, purple, and yellow hues. Females exhibit more muted tones of brown and yellow, with subtle blue and white markings. These ducks inhabit wooded areas near water and belong to a unique group known as perching ducks, which are known for nesting in tree cavities, often created by squirrels or woodpeckers, to protect their young from predators.
Wood ducks are serially monogamous, forming pairs during the breeding season from March to May, with females laying six to 15 eggs that they incubate alone. The young hatch with the ability to swim and walk almost immediately and are led to water shortly after emerging from their nests. Their diet is varied, consisting of aquatic plants, insects, small fish, crustaceans, and seeds. While their life span typically ranges from three to four years, wood ducks can occasionally live longer. Despite facing natural predators such as owls and raccoons, they are not classified as a threatened species, and flocks can sometimes reach up to 300 individuals outside of the breeding season.
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Wood duck
Perhaps one of the most colorful ducks is the male wood duck. Native to the eastern half of the United States, he has a large, glossy crest on his head, and his body colors are green, blue, purple, yellow, brown, and white. The female is dull yellow and brown with some blue and white. Wood ducks are residents of wooded habitats near water. They are in a group of ducks called perching ducks which nest in tree holes.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Aix
Species: Sponsa
Wood ducks are almost two feet (55 centimeters) long and weigh one to two pounds (1/2 to 1 kilogram). The male is more colorful than the female and is considered one of the most colorful of all the ducks. His scarlet bill has a black patch on the tip and between his two nostrils and a yellow band around the base of the bill. The head has glossy green, blue, and purple plumage and has a large crest of the same colors with white streaks. These same colors appear on the male's upperparts, while red, yellow, and brown decorates his sides. The female has a gray bill and a smaller crest than the male. Her plumage is dull brownish-yellow with some small patches of blue and white. Both male and female have white underparts and long tails.
A tree hole or a rock crevice in a wooded area near water makes an ideal place for a wood duck nest. For this reason, the wood ducks belong to a group of ducks known as perching ducks, all of which nest in trees. The hole may be an old squirrel or woodpecker hole and is usually out of the reach of most predators which would eat eggs or young ducks. Wood ducks are serially monogomous, meaning they stay with one mate throughout the breeeding season but switch mates the following year. Breeding season begins in March and continues through May. The male and female wood duck mate soon after their return migration from warmer climates where they spend the winter. The female lays six to 15 eggs and incubates them by herself, since the male leaves her after she lays the eggs. One month later, the eggs hatch, and the young can both swim and walk the same day they break free from their shells. They leave the nest by dropping or tumbling to the ground or water below, and their mother leads them to the water. Shortly afterward, they learn to fly. At one year of age they are able to mate for the first time.
Flocks of wood ducks may number up to 300 birds when pairs of ducks are not breeding apart from their flocks. Each flock inhabits a wooded area with bodies of freshwater, such as ponds, lakes, or rivers. Wood ducks are omnivores. The ducks feed on aquatic plants and insects which they find alongside the water, on the surface, or underneath on the bottom. They also eat small fish, crustaceans, acorns, seeds, and ground snails.
The life span of wood ducks averages three to four years, although they can live longer. The main predators of wood ducks include, owls, foxes, and raccoons. Wood ducks are not a threatened species.
Bibliography
King, Frank. “Wood Duck Identification.” All About Birds, 2024, www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood‗Duck/id#. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.
Pope, Andrea. “ADW: Aix Sponsa: Information.” Animal Diversity Web, 2004, animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aix‗sponsa. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.