Wood ducks have no relatives in North America You may also like: Why is a Woodpecker Pecking on My House? 12. Although it is commonly known that most waterfowl hybrid offspring end up infertile. Wood ducks have been known to interbreed with mallards (and other species) creating a hybrid breed of duck. They are one of the few species of ducks in the world with strong claws that allow them grip bark and climb trees. This is an adaptation for climbing and perching in wood ducks. They are thought to be seasonally monogamous, meaning male wood ducks may find different mates each year. Wood ducks form pairs in January and begin mating in the spring.
They can even climb down 8 feet or more to get out of the nest they were born in by using a special tooth on their beak. Even so, they remain with mom for some time.
Precocial means when the babies hatch they can immediately swim and find food on their own. The reason for this is so that the males can show off and attract females. It’s no secret that male birds are more brightly colored than female birds, it’s no different with wood ducks. Male wood duck colors are for courtship displays If the right type of nesting box is provided in the right location, they will use them. Wood ducks will use nest boxesįinding nests can sometimes be difficult for wood ducks because of their nesting preferences. Male Wood Ducks are the most vividly colored ducksĪs you can see from the image above of a male wood duck, they are very vividly colored, among the most vividly colored ducks in the world. However sometimes they will nest as far as a mile from water, never too far though. Typically very close to water or even hanging over water. This is how they got the name wood ducks, because they perch and nest in trees. Other common names for the wood duck are: Due to conservation efforts, their numbers are now on the rise and there are thought to be over a million wood ducks in North America now. It looked like they were headed for extinction. They were hunted nearly to extinctionĭue to over-hunting as well as destruction of habitat, wood duck numbers were very low in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If a female can’t find a good place to lay her eggs, she will use another wood duck nest that already has eggs in it. Female wood ducks lays up to 15 eggsĪ female wood duck lays anywhere from 6 to 15 eggs. Let’s jump right into some interesting facts about Wood Ducks. As with most other types of birds females are not as brightly colored as males, but they are always a treat to see and maybe even grab a picture of. Wood Ducks are medium sized ducks with some extraordinary colors and patterns, they can be found throughout most of the eastern half of the United States.
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