Here are some beautiful wood ducks! Though, in all honesty, the one mallard chilling with them on the log was pretty cute too- and deserved some attention, in my opinion.
Wood ducks are local favorites here, thanks to their unique plumage colors. Not to mention, those eyes quite literally pop with color! But if you’ve ever seen them in the dark, you know that they’re kind of creepy- with those big red eyes staring back at you like OvO (that was my “duck staring at you” fact in letters, in case you couldn’t tell)
The key to the males’ red-colored eyes is actually found in their diet. So maybe you are what you eat!
Another interesting thing that sets wood ducks apart from most other duck species is their nesting habits. Unlike most ducks, which nest on the ground, wood ducks nest wood!
I know! Never wood have guessed! (Hahahahahahahagha)
Well… rather, they nest in trees (which are made of wood, so there. Mic drop.)
However, because these birds nest so high up, their ducklings have quite a ways to go after hatching. Around April, these ducklings will hatch flightless- and within 24 hours, they jump right out of their nests! (sometimes from as high as 50 feet above the ground!) and waddle off to find their mother.
I can’t even imagine jumping 50 feet out of a tree when I was only 24 hours old! Talk about Crazy!
Sources
Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Wood Duck Overview
National Wildlife Federation: Wood Duck
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service: Wood Duck Nest Box Guide
Audubon: Wood Duck Field Guide
Smithsonian’s National Zoo: Wood Duck Facts
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