Skip to content
Henry Sowell

Vol. I · Est. 2026

Pl. XCIV
Field-journal plate: Wood Duck
The Wood Duck plate as rendered on the e-ink frame
As rendered on the frame

The Birds · Plate XCIV

Wood Duck

Aix sponsa

Anatidae · Taxon 7107

Length47–54 cm (18.5–21.3 in)
Wingspan66–73 cm (26.0–28.7 in)
Weight454–862 g (16.0–30.4 oz)

Field marks

  1. Boxy, crested head, slim neck, and long, broad tail
  2. Male has a glossy green-purple head crossed by bold white stripes
  3. Bright red eye and red-and-white bill with a dark tip
  4. Chestnut breast with fine white spotting and pale flanks bordered in black and white
  5. Female is gray-brown with a white teardrop-shaped eye patch and mottled breast
  6. Short, broad dark wings with white edging; short-set webbed legs

HabitatWooded freshwater wetlands, including swamps, marshes, quiet streams, ponds, and small lakes with trees or dense emergent cover; nests in tree cavities near water.

BehaviorDiurnal dabbling duck that feeds at the surface or by short, shallow dives. Perches and nests in trees, flies adeptly through woods, and often occurs in pairs or small groups.

Palette

emerald greenchestnut browncream whitecharcoal blackcoral red