Male Wood Duck, Cleveland Metroparks, Ohio

The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck, (Aix sponsa) is a medium-sized perching duck about three-quarters of the length of an adult Mallard. It shares its genus with the Asian Mandarin Duck. Adult males have distinctive multi-colored iridescent plumage and red eyes. The female is a much less colorful brown with a white eye-ring and a whitish throat. Both adults have crested heads. When swimming wood ducks bob their head back and forth in a jerking motion making them easy to spot.
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Wood ducks breed in wooded swamps, shallow lakes, marshes or ponds in eastern North America, the west coast of the United States and western Mexico. They usually nest in cavities in trees close to water, although they will take advantage of nesting boxes if available. They are typically quite shy and skittish though in a few areas they are well adapted to humans.