Numbers of Wood Duck at Treatment
Pond, Whiting Park,
Jackson County, US-WV.
Wood
Duck
The Wood Duck or Carolina
Duck - Aix sponsa - is a species of duck found in North
America and is one of the most colourful of North American
waterfowl. Wood Ducks have a unique shape among ducks, a boxy, crested head, a
thin neck, and a long, broad tail. Their breeding habitat is wooded swamps,
shallow lakes, marshes or ponds and creeks in eastern North
America.
Description
The adult male has distinctive
multi-coloured iridescent plumage and red eyes, with a distinctive white flare
down the neck. The female, less colourful, has a white eye-ring and a whitish
throat. Both adults have crested heads. Unlike most other ducks, the Wood Duck
has sharp claws for perching in trees
Call
The male's call is a rising whistle,
"jeeeeee"; the females utter a drawn-out, rising squeal,
"oo-eek," when flushed, and a sharp "cr-r-ek, cr-e-ek" for
an alarm call.
Food
These ducks are omnivores. They
feed by dabbling or walking on land and eat seeds, fruits, insects and other
arthropods. When aquatic foods are unavailable they may take to dry land to eat
acorns and other nuts from forests and grain from fields.
Breeding
They usually nest in cavities in
trees close to water, although they will take advantage of nesting boxes in
wetland locations if available. Females line their nests with feathers and
other soft materials, with individual females laying between 6 to 16 glossy
creamy white to tan eggs per clutch. The incubation period is between 28 to 37
days and the nestling period between 56 to 70 days.
Conservation Status – Least concern
The population of the Wood Duck
was in serious decline in the late 19th century as a result of severe habitat
loss and market hunting both for meat and plumage for the ladies' hat market in
Europe. The population of the Wood Duck has
increased a great deal in the last several years. The increase has been due to
the work of many people constructing Wood Duck boxes and conserving vital
habitat for the Wood Ducks to breed.
Birdwatching
Look for Wood Ducks in wooded
swamps, marshes, streams, beaver ponds, and small lakes. They stick to wet
areas with trees or extensive cattails or ask Aves Birding
Tours/Safaris/Adventures to create a tour for you.