Scientific Name:   Aix sponsa

Length:   18.5-21.3 in (47-54 cm)

Weight:   16.0-30.4 oz (454-862 g)

Wingspan:   26.0-28.7 in (66-73 cm)

Nest:   They typically choose a tree more than 1 foot and often 2 feet in diameter, with a cavity anywhere from 2–60 feet high. These cavities are typically places where a branch has broken off and the tree's heartwood has subsequently rotted. Females line their nests with feathers and other soft materials, and the elevation provides some protection from predators such as raccoons, owls, and hawks.

Eggs:   9-14, sometimes 6-15. Dull white to pale buff. Females frequently lay eggs in each others' nests, sometimes in "dump nests" where no incubation ever takes place. Incubation is by female only, 25-35 days.

Feeding Behavior:   Wood ducks feed by dabbling (feeding from the surface rather than diving underwater) or grazing on land. They mainly eat berries, acorns, and seeds, but also insects, making them omnivores. They are able to crush acorns after swallowing them within their gizzard. PlantsWood Ducks eat seeds, fruits, insects and other arthropods.

Young:   The ducklings remain in nest until morning after hatching. Clinging with sharp claws and bracing with tails, young climb to cavity entrance, jump to ground. Female tends young. Two or more broods may combine. Young are tended by females for 5-6 weeks, capable of flight at about 8-9 weeks.

Range:   The birds are year-round residents in parts of its southern range, but the northern populations migrate south for the winter. They overwinter in the southern United States near the Atlantic Coast. Wood ducks breed across most of the central and eastern United States, southeastern Canada and along the Pacific coast from California to British Columbia. In the eastern and western United States, 30-75 percent of wood ducks are permanent residents.

Brief Description:   The adult male has stunning multicolored iridescent plumage and red eyes, with a distinctive white flare down the neck. The female, less colorful, has a white eye-ring and a whitish throat. Both adults have crested heads. The secondary wing feathers are iridescent blue-green with a white border on the trailing edge.