{"id":7033,"date":"2024-11-08T19:16:29","date_gmt":"2024-11-08T19:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/?p=7033"},"modified":"2024-12-02T22:53:58","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T22:53:58","slug":"the-wonderous-world-of-wood-ducks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.viu.ca\/biol325\/2024\/11\/08\/the-wonderous-world-of-wood-ducks\/","title":{"rendered":"The Wonderous World of Wood Ducks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Banner Photo Credit: Isabella Loberiza<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to the wonderous world of Wood Ducks! Through this blog, I hope to help share some of the unique facts, features and research that make this bird so amazing. I hope you enjoy and learn something new along the way!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Description and ID<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now I know what you’re thinking, \u201chow am I EVER going to be able to recognize or pick out such a bland looking duck while out for a walk!?\u201d Ok maybe not. If you were to ask most birders, they\u2019d probably tell you Wood Ducks are one of the easier species to pick out of a flock, particularly if you see a male in breeding plumage. But still, here are some useful characteristics to look out for when looking for this stunning species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Male Wood Ducks (Aix sponsa)<\/em> in breeding plumage are often dressed to impress and easy to pick out in a crowd. They exhibit an iridescent green head streaked with white, a slicked back crest and piercing red eyes (All About Birds<\/a>). Their body is easily recognizable by their prominent chestnut-coloured breast and contrasting beige sides.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Figure 1. <\/strong>Adult male in breeding plumage. Photo credit: Samuel Detillieux<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Female Wood Ducks are a little more modest in colouration than their male counterparts, but stunning birds as well! To find a female Wood Duck, look for a grey to brown coloured head with a grey crest and characteristic white teardrop shaped patch of feathers surrounding their eyes (Ducks Unlimited<\/a>). They have white throats and grey-brown breasts flecked with white that fades into a white belly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 2.<\/strong> A)<\/strong> Adult female in breeding plumage. Photo Credit: Samuel Detillieux.<\/a> B) <\/strong>Female (left) and male (right) in breeding plumage. Photo credit: Samuel Detillieux<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also identify Wood Ducks by their unique vocalizations, click on the audio clips below to hear a few Wood Duck vocalizations!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Audio 1. <\/strong>Female oo-eek call. Credit: Audobon<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Audio 2. <\/strong>Female stuttering call. Credit: Audobon<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Audio 3. <\/strong>Male Squeal. Credit: Audobon<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Migration and Habitat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alright, so now you know how to recognize a wood duck in the wild, but don\u2019t grab your binoculars and favourite bird ID field guide just yet! First, let’s take a look at where you might want to focus your search to see one of these wonderous waterfowl for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood Ducks can occupy a wide range of habitats, including creeks, rivers, swamps and marshes (Birds of the World<\/a>). They feed on mostly vegetation and insects from within their environment, with an increase of insect and protein consumption observed during mating season, especially in females (Landers et al., 1977).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you live in North America, you probably won\u2019t have to look too far. Ranging as far north as Nova Scotia and as far south as Florida and the gulf of Mexico, Wood Ducks can be found across most of North America (Animal Diversity Web<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 3. <\/strong>Range Map of the Wood Duck. Image credit: All About Birds<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

About one third of Wood Ducks in the United States are non-migratory, but the remaining two thirds typically migrate in flocks of 6-12 individuals. Populations further north will normally begin migration earlier than their southern counterparts, beginning their flight to their overwintering grounds sometime from mid-September to mid-November. Migrating Wood Ducks who live farther south on the other hand will begin their flight to their overwintering grounds sometime from early-November to mid-December. On the West Coast, Wood Ducks will migrate from southern BC to the central valley of California, those migrating from the East Coast of Canada often make the journey to North Carolina and Wood Ducks from the interior seem to converge south of Kentucky along the Mississippi River floodplain. Migration back to breeding grounds are not very well understood, however early season migrators will begin arriving around late February (Birds of the World<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mating Behaviour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that we know where to look for a Wood Duck and how to pick on out from a crowd, let’s talk about the types of things you might see Wood Ducks doing in the wild!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courtship in Wood Ducks occurs primarily in the fall, with most pairings of mates having been determined by the end of January. Due to the limited number of nesting cavities suitable for Wood Duck to inhabit within their environments, having a mate earlier in the breeding season, or even prior to migrating to their breeding site can be hugely beneficial as it allows these breeding pairs to waste no time in selecting an advantageous nest ( Armburster, 1981).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Male Wood Ducks use a range of vocalizations and behaviours to show off their colourful coats and convey their fitness to a prospective mate, with multiple males often trying impress the same female at one time (Armburster, 1981).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fun Fact!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of these mating behaviours, called the wing-and-tail flash, is unique to the Wood Duck and their close relative, the Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)<\/em>. This behaviour is characterized by the male quickly raising their closed wings and tail, while showing their side and tipping their beak down to fully display their iridescent green crest to the prospective female (Birds of the World<\/a>). This behaviour allows male Wood Ducks to take full advantage of the impressive display of colours that makes this species so recognizable!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parenting Behaviour<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once a mating pair has been established, Wood Ducks usually exhibit a monogamous mating system but will change mating partners between seasons. Females will lay 6 to 15 eggs on average and after a 30 day incubation period, will have a fresh litter of chicks to care for. Once emerging from their egg, life moves quickly for the newborn chicks, only 24 hours after hatching their mother will call them out of their nest and after 56 to 70 days the chicks will be entirely independent. Only female Wood Ducks exhibit parental care (Animal Diversity Web<\/a>). Amazingly, Wood Ducks will often have two broods in a single season (Birds of the World<\/a>)!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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