Bird of the Week: Wood Duck

Species: Wood Duck, ​​Aix sponsa

Family: Anatidae

Sign: Gemini 

Favorite hobby: Pretending to be owls

Dear reader,

Of the many inhabitants of the Canyon, the wood duck is perhaps the most stunning and colorful. Unlike most ducks, they have a crest and a unique, elegant silhouette. The male ducks are colorful: iridescent green crested head and wings, white-speckled chestnut breast, and orange-circled red eyes. White markings adorn their face and sides, and they have a long, broad tail. Their thin neck and boxy, crested head make them distinctive from the mallards and mergansers that might also be seen in the Canyon. Female wood ducks have warm brown plumage and a  slightly crested gray head. They have a white teardrop shape around their eyes, and a dark blue patch on their wings bordered by a white stripe on its edge. These blue patches are especially visible when the ducks are flying. When startled or taking flight, female wood ducks make a repeating  ‘oo-eek’ sound. Males have a thin, rising and falling whistle. Wood ducks reside year-round in Portland, and range in different areas for  breeding and nonbreeding seasons within the U.S. Generally, they breed in the North and migrate further south when they are not breeding. 

The Canyon is a perfect environment for wood ducks, who enjoy the wooded, shallow lake. They are much less likely to be in exposed areas of water. Their diet consists of seeds, fruits, insects, and arthropods. They may venture onto land to eat if there is not a reliable aquatic food source, where they  eat acorns and other forest nuts or grain from fields. Wood ducks are choosy with their nests and unique in their location preferences: they nest in tree trunks, which they selectively choose as a couple. Wood ducks prefer trees between one and two feet in diameter, and a cavity anywhere from two to 60 feet off the ground, though they prefer higher sites over lower ones. Their nests are usually situated over or near water, while they have been known to nest as far as 1.2 miles from water. Man-made nest boxes have proved very popular with wood ducks, and there are even a couple in the Canyon! The female duck lines the inside of the cavity with down feathers from her breast to keep it insulated. Like some other bird species, wood ducks are prone to egg-dumping, or intraspecific brood parasitism, a behavior in which a female will lay eggs in another couple’s nest and leave them to be raised by other ducks. They often have large broods regardless and may produce two broods each season. When fledging, ducklings have to make their way to water from wherever their nest is, which is often a considerable distance away. After jumping up to 60 feet out of the nest, they will follow the sound of their mother’s call, but she will not help them. Despite the far drop from the nest, these brave nestlings are rarely injured by their fall. 

While spring at Reed should mean a dearth of breeding wood ducks, it will hopefully bring some new ducklings! Look for them at both far ends of the Canyon, where there is heavy tree coverage and vegetation.