Wood Duck, Aix sponsa
Bill Rowe
Here in Missouri we see a wide variety of handsome waterfowl—a well-defined term meaning ducks, geese, and swans—but nearly all of them arrive in the fall, perhaps spend the winter, and then head back north in the spring without sticking around to nest and raise their young. In fact, only three species of ducks are regular, widespread summer residents: the Mallard, the Hooded Merganser, and the Wood Duck, which is an instant favorite with people who are seeing it for the first time. Well named, Wood Ducks frequent wooded ponds, swamps, and rivers, often perch in trees, and nest in any tree cavities they can find that are large enough, including occasional Pileated Woodpecker holes. As a substitute, they are happy to use man-made nest boxes; these can be seen on refuges, conservation areas, and sometimes private land all over the state. Way back at the turn of the century (19th to 20th), there was great concern about the decline of the Wood Duck, but over the past 100 years, their numbers have rebounded to a healthy level, thanks partly to careful management of hunting in the fall (just as with most other waterfowl). The Wood Duck’s only close relative, placed in the same genus, is the equally spectacular Mandarin Duck of East Asia, which is often kept in collections and is occasionally spotted as an escaped bird.
IDENTIFICATION: Male Wood Ducks are unmistakable, and so are females if they are seen reasonably well, with their white goggles around the eyes. In flight, Wood Ducks have a distinctive shape, with a long tail and a squarish head that is held up above the line of the body, with bill pointing down. Sometimes their presence is revealed by the alarm call of the female, an upslurred “whoo-eek!”
ST. LOUIS STATUS: Common most of the year in proper habitat, but mostly absent in midwinter.
Learn more and listen to the songs and calls of Wood Ducks here.
