Wood Duck

Description:

Wood ducks are fairly small ducks with the female being mostly brown with a distinctive white eye ring. Males--shown in photo--are arguably the most handsome of the North American waterfowl. He has a reddish brown breast, green head with white throat, neck and chinstrap markings. The crest is green and outlined in white, eyes are brilliant red, and bill reddish tipped with black. Sides are burnished bronze, wings dark. Both males and females have a crest although it typically lays down the neck.

Habitat:

Wetlands and wooded floodplains. Wood ducks have strong, sharp claws and they often land in trees. Nest sites are in tree cavities and specially designed nest boxes.

Notes:

This photo was taken along the Mississippi River near Monticello, Minnesota. It's an area where trumpeter swans are fed, but other wild waterfowl gather here to glean spilled corn.