Wood duck

The wood duck or Carolina duck is a partially migratory species of perching duck found in North America. The male is one of the most colorful North American waterfowls.

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Distribution

Region

North America

Typical Environment

Found across much of the United States and southern Canada during the breeding season, especially in wooded swamps, oxbow lakes, beaver ponds, and slow-moving rivers. They winter mainly in the southeastern United States and along the Pacific Coast, with some reaching northern Mexico. Nesting occurs in natural tree cavities and nest boxes close to water. They readily use restored wetlands and riparian corridors and often perch in trees near feeding areas.

Altitude Range

Sea level to 1500 m

Climate Zone

Temperate

Characteristics

Size47–54 cm

Wing Span66–73 cm

Male Weight0.68 kg

Female Weight0.62 kg

Life Expectancy4 years

Ease of Keeping

Beginner friendly: 2/5

Useful to know

The Wood Duck, also called the Carolina Duck, is a tree-nesting perching duck famed for the drake’s ornate, iridescent plumage. It rebounds strongly from historic declines thanks to wetland protection and widespread use of nest boxes. Ducklings leap from high cavity nests within a day of hatching, landing unharmed and following the hen to water. They are agile fliers, often weaving through forested wetlands.

Gallery

A male wood duck taking flight

A male wood duck stretching

Behaviour

Temperament

wary and alert

Flight Pattern

quick, agile flight with rapid wingbeats

Social Behavior

Typically forms monogamous pairs each breeding season and nests in cavities or nest boxes near water. Ducklings leave the cavity shortly after hatching and follow the hen to feeding areas. Outside breeding, small groups may gather at rich feeding sites or communal roosts.

Migratory Pattern

Partial migrant

Song Description

Females give a sharp, rising oo-EEK alarm call, especially when flushed from cover. Males produce thin, high whistles and softer calls during courtship. Vocalizations carry well over wooded wetlands.

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Identification

Comb Type

Plumage Description

Feather Color

Leg Color

Earlobe Color

Eye Color

Feeding Habits

Diet

Preferred Environment

Requires Supplement

Population

Conservation Status

Species Status

Wild Population

Total Known Population

Wood pipit

The wood pipit or woodland pipit is a small passerine bird belonging to the pipit genus Anthus in the family Motacillidae. It was formerly included in the long-billed pipit but is now frequently treated as a separate species. It is a bird of miombo woodland in south-central Africa, unlike the long-billed pipit which inhabits open grassland. It perches in trees when flushed but forages on the ground for invertebrates.

Wood sandpiper

The wood sandpiper is a small wader belonging to the sandpiper family Scolopacidae. A Eurasian species, it is the smallest of the shanks, a genus of mid-sized, long-legged waders that largely inhabit freshwater and wetland environments, as opposed to the maritime or coastal habitats of other, similar species.

Wood snipe

The wood snipe is a species of snipe which breeds in the Himalayas of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan and southern China. In winter, it occurs at lower altitudes in the Himalayas, as a regular visitor in small numbers to north Vietnam. it also occurs as a vagrant in central and southern India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, north Thailand and Laos. It is reportedly very well-known to Chauri herders in the Himalayas.

Wood stork

The wood stork is a large wading bird in the family Ciconiidae (storks). Originally described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, this stork is native to the subtropics and tropics of the Americas where it persists in habitats with fluctuating water levels. It is the only stork species that breeds in North America. The head and neck are bare of feathers, and dark grey in colour. The plumage is mostly white, with the exception of the tail and some of the wing feathers, which are black with a greenish-purplish sheen.

Wood thrush

The wood thrush is a North American passerine bird in the family Turdidae and is the only species placed in the genus Hylocichla. It is closely related to other thrushes such as the American robin and is widely distributed across North America, wintering in Central America and southern Mexico. The wood thrush is the official bird of the District of Columbia.