Wood duck
(π¨ππ ππππππ)
Conservation Status: Least Concern (Population increasing)
Photo Credit: LandBetweentheLakesKYTN/Creative Commons
Facts: Wood ducks stand out with their boxy, crested head, thin necks and long broad tails. The males have iridescent green and purple heads with a white stripe running from the eye to the end of the crest. The females have a grayβbrown head and neck and a brownish, green crest with a white teardrop shaped patch around the eye. They live in forested woodlands, wooded swamps, rivers and ponds, sticking to wet areas within trees or cattails. They feed on aquatic plants and their seeds, fallen seeds from trees, acorns, crustaceans and insects. You will often see wood ducks in small groups of less than 20 individuals, apart from other species of waterfowl. If you do, listen for their calls: the females emit a loud Wooo---eeeek! While the males have a softer jeeeee? Or ter-weeeee?
Get Involved: Interested in helping out your local population of wood ducks? You can create a nesting box for woods ducks by checking out these simple instructions: https://www.audubon.org/news/how-build-wood-duck-nest-box
Sources: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck/overview, https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/wood-duck, https://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/wood-duck