Aix sponsa
The male Wood Duck is one of the most colorful water birds in North America; its image routinely adorns books, magazines, postcards and calendars. To see a male in his breeding finery, perched in a tree, conveys a link between the bird's beauty and its habits. The males molt following breeding, however, and lose much of their extravagant plumage. Most male ducks enter this 'eclipse' plumage stage for a brief period from late summer to fall. They normally molt again into their breeding colors before their fall migration. Wood Ducks commonly associate with Mallards and American Wigeons in much of the southern Rockies. The Wood Duck has no close relatives in the Americas. It is in the same genus as the similarly beautiful Mandarin Duck of eastern Asia. The scientific name sponsa is Latin for 'promised bride,' suggesting that the male appears formally dressed for a wedding. |
I.D.: Male: glossy green head; crest is slicked back from the crown; white chin and throat; chestnut breast is spotted with white; white shoulder slash; golden sides; dark back and hindquarters. Female: white, 'teardrop' eye patch; mottled brown breast is streaked with white; brown-gray upperparts; white belly. Size: L 15-21 in. (38-53 cm). Range: uncommon breeder from Yellowstone NP to the Canadian Rockies; rare migrant in the central and southern U.S. Rockies; rare summer resident in the Canadian Rockies. Habitat: beaver ponds and backwaters with wooded edges in the foothills and the montane. Nesting: in a natural hollow or cavity in a tree, often 30 ft. (9.1 m) or more high; also in artificial nest boxes; usually near water; nest is lined with down from the female's breast. Feeding: surface gleans and tips up for aquatic vegetation, especially duckweed and aquatic sedges and grasses; eats more fruits and nuts than other ducks. Voice: Male: ascending ter-wee-wee. Female: squeaky woo-e-e-k. Similar Species: Hooded Merganser: white patch on the crest; slim bill. Harlequin Duck: no crest; blue-gray overall. |
