North American Wood Duck

Aix sponsa

RANGE Southern Canada to northern Mexico

HABITAT Freshwater swamps, marshes, lakes, and calm rivers edged by forests

DIET Fruits, seeds, plants and insects

Males have brightly colored heads, with iridescent green, blue and purple markings, red eyes and white lines running from the bill to the back of the head. Females have brownish-gray heads with white rings around the eyes.

Females nest in tree cavities to incubate their eggs. After hatching, ducklings jump down from their nesting site (which may be more than 250 feet up!) and make their way straight to water.

Females will care for their ducklings for six to eight weeks, at which point they will wander away to molt. Ducklings fledge at about eight weeks of age.