Beautiful and unique, this duck of woodland ponds and river swamps has no close relatives, except for the Mandarin Duck of eastern Asia. Abundant in eastern North America in Audubon's time, the Wood Duck population declined seriously during the late 19th century because of hunting and loss of nesting sites.

Wood ducks live year-round in the Southeast and along the Pacific coast. The highest population is along the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic coast south of New Jersey. In the summer months, many wood ducks migrate north to cooler climates.

Wood Ducks have an interesting behaviour pattern that distinguishes them from other similar species: They nest in tree cavities as they cannot dig their own nests. The birds forage for food by dabbling along the shores of their watery habitats. These …

These birds live in wooded swamps, where they nest in holes in trees or in nest boxes put up around lake margins. They are one of the few duck species equipped with strong claws that can grip bark and perch on branches. Look for Wood Ducks around the edges of swamps, sluggish streams, overgrown beaver ponds, and wood-fringed marshes.

Their breeding habitat is wooded swamps, shallow lakes, marshes, ponds and creeks in the eastern United States, the west coast of the United States, some adjacent parts of southern Canada, and the west coast of Mexico. They get their name from being one of the only species of ducks who perch and nest in trees.

Wood ducks nest in woodland areas along lakes, rivers, and vegetated wetland areas. During the winter months, wood ducks inhabit bottomland hardwood wetlands, beaver ponds and flowages, river oxbows, meanders and backwaters, and other inland freshwater forested wetland areas.

Feb 28, 2023 · Wood Duck’s habitats include lakeside forests, rivers, streams, wetlands, swamps, and different ponds. For successful breeding, the nesting sites have to be within a one-mile radius of water. During winter, their habitats mirror those used during the breeding season.

The wood duck, as its name implies, is most often found in wooded swamps, beaver ponds, freshwater marshes, and along streams and rivers near forests. It is one of seven North American ducks that regularly nest in natural cavities, particularly those found in trees.

Wood Ducks are one of a handful of waterfowl that nest in tree cavities, usually those formed where a branch has fallen off and allowed the adjacent trunk to rot on the inside. They will occasionally use old Pileated Woodpecker holes and of course take readily to nest boxes.

Wood ducks are commonly found throughout North America from British Columbia and Quebec, Canada, as far south as Mexico and Florida. The wood duck is one of the few duck species that breed and nest in Florida. In addition, wood ducks that nest in higher latitudes migrate south and overwinter in Florida and other states bordering the Gulf of Mexico.