3-12-2015 JURONG, SINGAPORE - WOOD DUCK (MALE) (Aix sponsa)

The Wood duck (Aix sponsa) is a species of perching duck from North America. The drake of this species is known to be one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. In 1918 the Wood duck was near extinction as a result of habitat loss and hunting. Wildlife management has fortunately protected this species so that it is amongst the most common ducks today in the eastern US.

The Wood duck is among the most stunningly beautiful of all water birds. Males are iridescent green and chestnut, with ornate patterns on almost every feather, while the elegant female has a delicate white pattern around her eye and a distinctive profile. These birds inhabit wooded swamps, where their nests are in holes up in trees or in the nest boxes around lake margins. These are one of a few duck species that have strong claws to perch on branches and grip bark.

Wood ducks are widespread across North America. Larger population breeds in Manitoba east to Nova Scotia, also south to Florida, Texas, the Gulf of Mexico, and Cuba. There is also a small Pacific coast population that breeds from British Columbia in Canada to California in the United States. These birds are year-round residents in parts of their southern range, but the northern populations migrate south for the winter. They overwinter in the southern United States near the Atlantic Coast. Wood ducks inhabit wooded areas on the banks of lakes, freshwater ponds, quiet rivers, wooded swamps, marshes, and creeks.

Wood ducks are diurnal birds and sleep on the water, except for females with ducklings. They feed by walking on land or dabbling, meaning they search for food from the surface of the water. They are social and often gather in flocks in the evening. They also migrate in small flocks or pairs. Although not territorial, Wood ducks will protect their mates by chasing, pecking, and hitting. Such battles are often short. When threatening another bird, they will jerk and jab with their beaks. Males are assumed to be dominant over females, and adults over young birds. Adults have 12 calls and ducklings have 5. Most calls made by adults are warning calls or to attract mates. Males and females both have pre-flight calls, and females have calls for locating their mate and calling their ducklings. Ducklings can make calls at 2 to 3 days old, have an alarm, threatening, and contact calls.