Woody the Wood Duck

This male Wood Duck was photographed at George C. Reifel Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Delta, British Columbia. The Wood Duck is one of the most stunningly beautiful of all the waterfowl. The male wood duck is also one of the most recognizable birds in the United States. Its body is made up of over 6 different colors. Male Wood Ducks have a crest on their head that is iridescent green and purple with a white stripe leading from the eye to the end of the crest. They have a burgundy chest with white flecks and a white throat. The bill is brightly patterned black, white and red. The legs and feet are a dull straw yellow and the iris is red.  The females on the other hand have a distinct and delicate look. Female wood ducks have grayish-brown bodies. The back is dark gray-brown and the sides are a lighter shade. The most noticeable characteristics of the females are found on the head. The head is gray with a white eye-ring around each eye. This picture of a Wood Duck is the photo used in my 2016 Pacific Northwest Birds Calendar for month of January.

The males do not have the decorative markings all year-round. They use the colorful markings to attract females during the breeding season that runs from autumn until the early summer. In late summer, males lose their pale sides and bold stripes, but retain their bright eye and bill. So outside of mating season you can still recognize them as a wood duck by the red eyes and bill.

The habitat that these ducks prefer are wooded swamps where they nest in holes in trees. They happened to be one of a few species of duck that have strong claws that can cling to bark and allows them to perch in tree branches. Some other good places to look for Wood Ducks are: marshes, streams, beaver ponds, and small lakes, and wet areas with trees.