Aix sponsa

What is arguably the most beautiful duck we have around here, the Wood Duck (aix sponsa) is a small duck that is quite at home in wetlands, small ponds, back coves of large bodies of water and streams. It is also one of the few ducks in North America that nests in hollows in trees.

As true to form for most bird species the males are much more colorful than the females. And in my humble opinion is only seconded by the mandarin duck for its beauty and grace.

But the females, what they lack in style can make up for that in craftiness. If there are no suitable nesting cavities in their area, a female wood duck is not to shy to lay her eggs in the nest of another wood duck, leaving the young to be hatched and raised by another. which is why at places like Muscatatuck it is nothing to see a mother wood duck with as many as 25 ducklings trailing along behind her.

Most of the time, the nest cavities are very close to water, but sometimes they can also be very far away from water as well. And upon hatching, when its time for the young to venture forth into the world, they start their lives by diving out of the nests (which are often high up in the tree) and falling to the ground or water below. ( NAT GEO VIDEO ON YOUTUBE )

When most people think of ducks calling out, they think of the harsh QUACK usually associated with a mallard, but wood ducks have a soft whistle.