Interesting Facts

1. Wood Ducks Were Nearly Extinct. Destruction of habitat and irresponsible hunting practices led to dangerously low wood duck numbers were in the late 1800s and early 1900s, so much so that that their extinction seemed imminent. Due to conservation efforts, among them nesting box programs, their numbers are now on the rise and there are thought to be over a million wood ducks in North America now.

2. Female Wood Ducks Lay up to 15 Eggs. A female wood duck lays anywhere from 6 to 15 eggs. A nest can hold up to 40 eggs though. If a female can’t find a good place to lay her eggs, she will use another wood duck nest that already has eggs in it.

3. Their Feet Have Sharp Claws. This is an adaptation for climbing and perching in wood ducks. They are one of the few species of ducks in the world with strong claws that allow them grip bark and climb trees. On the inside of my project’s nesting boxes, there is a wire mesh “ladder” that allows the fledglings to climb out of the box.

3. Baby Wood Ducks are Precoreal. Precocial means when the babies hatch they can immediately swim and find food on their own. Even so, they remain with mom for some time. They can even climb down 8 feet or more to get out of the nest they were born in by using a special tooth on their beak.

4. They are Monogamous, Sort Of. Wood ducks form pairs in January and begin mating in the spring. They are thought to be seasonally monogamous, meaning male wood ducks may find different mates each year. So they don’t necessarily mate for life.

5. Babies Can Fly at 8-9 Weeks.
After the mother has left in just 8 short weeks, baby wood ducks are ready to fly. They can jump from heights of 300 feet without injuring themselves while learning to fly.

6. Wood Ducks Can Interbreed with Mallards.
Wood ducks have been known to interbreed with mallards (and other species) creating a hybrid breed of duck. Although it is commonly known that most waterfowl hybrid offspring end up infertile.

7. They Perch and Nest in Trees.

This is how they got the name wood ducks, because they perch and nest in trees.  Typically nesting sites are very close to water or even hanging over water.

8. Wood Ducks Have No North American Relatives.

While Wood Ducks are Native to North America, the Mandarin Duck of eastern Asia is the only known relative to the North American Wood Duck.