Waterfoul Royalty

Written By: William McReynolds - Highlands Plateau Audubon Society | Issue: 2020/06 - June | Photograph By: William McReynolds

This bird is startlingly beautiful. On first seeing the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) most people do a double-take: “What is that!” 

What indeed. 

Also known as the Carolina Duck, this is a “perching duck” with sharp claws for grasping tree branches. Yes, it can be seen perching in a tree like a sparrow. 

The real surprise, however, is its arresting beauty. The male is iridescent chestnut brown and green with a red eye surround and bold, masterful strokes of blue and white. The female shows off white eye make-up, dappled soft browns and grays with splashes of blue here and there. Both have crests. 

This surely is waterfowl royalty. 

Wood Ducks share a genus with Asian Mandarin Ducks. Their habitat is woodland ponds, streams and rivers. The two pictured here were seen on the lake at Burlingame. Their range includes eastern North America and the continental west coast down into western Mexico. Southern populations are year-rounders, while northern flocks migrate south for the winter.

Wood Ducks are cavity nesters who find openings in tree trunks to build nests and raise one or two broods a season. They readily take to nest boxes built to their proportions. Seven to 15 eggs are incubated for 30 days. After such a long incubation, the hatchlings fledge the day after emerging from the shell, jumping to the ground or water and being able to feed themselves berries, seeds and insects near or in the water. Wood Ducks can be seen upending themselves in the water, dabbling, with heads submerged and tails pointing to the heavens.

Sibley describes their voice as “thin, squeaky whistles.” The female emits a penetrating ooEEK ooEEK. The male’s call is a thin, high pitched and drawn out jeweeeep or sweeoooo kip kip kip. Like a Mallard, the male’s wings whistle when
it flies.

Hunting, loss of habitat and the feather trade left the national population of Wood Ducks greatly depleted by the end of the 19th Century. In the 20th Century, protective measures and the provision of many nest boxes have restored this irreplaceable species. Today they are here for all to enjoy.

Happy spring birding from the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society. These avian marvels are found in wooded areas near ponds, lakes and streams. Don’t forget to look for them also perching in the nearby trees.

The mission of the Highlands Plateau Audubon Society is to provide opportunities to enjoy and learn about birds and other wildlife and to promote conservation and restoration of the habitats that support them. HPAS is a 501(c)(3) organization, a Chapter of the National Audubon Society.   

Visit highlandsaudubonsociety.org for information on membership and  activities.