A colorful male wood duck with a crested head swimming. — Photo: Chuck Homler, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wood Duck

Aix sponsa

A colorful crested duck that nests in tree holes; its ducklings leave the nest just a day after hatching.

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About the Wood Duck

Wood ducks are 17 to 20 inches long. Both males and females have crested heads, and males have shiny green, blue and purple feathers with white stripes and red eyes. They live mainly in eastern North America and along the West Coast, in wooded swamps and river bottomlands. They eat tree seeds in flooded forests and sometimes grains like corn and wheat.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Aix sponsa^[1]
Size: 17 to 20 inches long.^[1]
Diet: Tree seeds, plus grains such as corn and wheat.^[1]
Habitat: Wooded swamps and river bottomlands.^[1]
Where it lives: Eastern North America, plus California to southern British Columbia.^[1]
Babies: 6 to 10 eggs, incubated for about 30 days.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2020).^[2]

Fun facts

Wood duck ducklings leave the nest just 24 hours after hatching.^[1]
Wood ducks often nest in boxes people build for them.^[1]
Their home range changes as floodwaters rise and fall.^[1]

Vocabulary

cavity: A hole or hollow space, such as in a tree.
crest: A tuft of feathers on top of a bird's head.
iridescent: Shimmering with colors that change in different light.
precocial: Born or hatched able to move around and feed itself soon after.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Bird HouseSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Wood duck.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/wood-duck (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Aix sponsa (Wood Duck).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22680104/136999461 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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