Basic Information
Scientific classification
- Chinese name: Lin Yuanyang
- Scientific name: Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
- Classification: Waterfowl
- Family and genus: Anseriformes, Anatidae, Duck
Vital signs data
- Body length: 47-54 cm
- Weight: 499-862g
- Lifespan: No verification data available.
Significant features
Widely recognized as the most beautiful duck in North America
Distribution and Habitat
It is distributed in Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, and the United States.
Migratory birds: Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bonaire, Saint Eustachians and Saba, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Iceland, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Martin (Netherlands), Spain (Canary Islands), Turks and Caicos Islands.
Wood Ducks can be seen in several southeastern provinces of Canada during the summer. They typically nest in mature broadleaf forests such as aspen and maple trees near ponds, river wetlands, or sparsely populated lakes. The tree cavities are typically 5 to 25 meters above the ground. Due to extensive deforestation, trees with a diameter exceeding 40 centimeters are becoming increasingly rare, and large trees with cavities or dead trees are often indiscriminately felled, making it difficult for Wood Ducks to find natural tree cavities (usually made by red-crowned woodpeckers) to nest. Research shows that 96% of Wood Duck nests are built in artificial nests. Approximately 3,000 Wood Ducks breed in southeastern Canada.
They inhabit waters rich in vegetation, such as ponds, lakes, and reservoirs, and are also found in forest edge marshes and ponds and streams surrounded by vegetation. They prefer to hide in tall grass or under lotus leaves, and also live in groups on the water surface, but usually avoid open lakes. Some woodland mandarin ducks living in North America migrate to the southern Atlantic coast of the United States to overwinter.
Appearance
The Mandarin Duck (Pterocarpus stenoptera) measures 47-54 cm in length and has a wingspan of 66-75 cm. Males weigh 544-862 grams, and females weigh 499-862 grams. There is a significant difference in plumage between males and females; males are brightly colored (especially during the breeding season), while females are more subdued. Both sexes possess distinctive crests (without crests in summer plumage). The male has two longitudinal white stripes on its crest, a purple and green head, a reddish-brown breast with white spots, and bronze-colored flanks. The female has a white eye ring, coal-grey body feathers, a white throat, and white stripes on her breast. Juveniles have black upper and white lower plumage, which is quite different from the yellow plumage of typical duck juveniles.
The tarsal scales are shield-like; the male's trachea has an asymmetrical enlargement; the calls of the two are different, and their plumage and behavior are usually different as well; the mating relationship and family life are short-lived; they molt twice a year; the male often molts once for "erosion feathers" and once for bright nuptial feathers; the chicks' down feathers have obvious patterns; the female has a "teasing" performance.
Detailed introduction
The Wood Duck (scientific name: Aix sponsa), also known as the Wood Duck, is a small, brightly colored arboreal bird native to North America, with no subspecies.
The Wood Duck (Aix Sponsa) is related to the Mandarin Duck and is widely recognized as the most beautiful duck in North America. Because it is found only on the North American continent, it is also called the North American Mandarin Duck. Its scientific name is *Aix Sponsa*, meaning "beautiful waterbird like a bride." Because they nest in tree cavities, they are also called Wood Ducks. They are among the few ducks that nest in trees, and their foraging habits differ from those of diving ducks. Therefore, scientists classify the Wood Duck as an arboreal bird, a species that represents a relatively advanced and successful evolutionary process.
This species usually appears in pairs and does not flock together, but in autumn and winter, it sometimes appears in groups of several to dozens, and sometimes in large flocks of thousands. It is a weak flier and slower than other ducks, emitting a soft, high-pitched whistling sound as it flies. It is also a good swimmer and diver, with a particularly strong diving ability; it can forage on the surface and underwater, and sometimes also forages on grass near the water. Its diet mainly consists of plant matter such as rice, crop seedlings, grass, and aquatic plants. Chicks feed on aquatic insects and other small organisms, while adults prefer acorns or other nuts.
The breeding season is in January or February, while northern populations typically breed from March or April. Nests are usually built in tree cavities, with an average of 6-16 eggs per clutch; the incubation period is about 25 to 37 days, and the chicks can leave the nest with the female the day after hatching, jumping from nests as high as 15 meters to the ground.
The biggest natural enemy of the Mandarin Duck is humans. Between 1972 and 1982, 1.23 million Mandarin Ducks were killed by hunters. As of 2008, approximately two to three million Mandarin Ducks still lived in the New Northern Limit Line, but they continued to face the threat of increasing loss of forests and wetlands. Although artificial nesting and breeding programs have been very successful, Mandarin Ducks still need healthy and safe habitats and foraging grounds, especially mature lakeside forests and unpolluted wetlands. Other natural predators include foxes, snakes, minks, raccoons, and woodpeckers; alligator snapping turtles also prey on ducklings.
Listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2020 ver 3.1.
Protect wild animals and ban the consumption of wild game.
Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!
