Wood duck

Wood duck photographed in Manitoba

Many people call the wood duck the most beautiful duck in North America, and the drake does his best to earn it. A glossy, crested head in green, purple, and blue is marked with bold white stripes, with a red eye and a red bill, and the chest is a rich chestnut with a delicate pattern of white flecks.

Unlike most ducks, wood ducks nest in tree cavities, and the ducklings leap from the nest a day after hatching, sometimes falling several metres to the ground without harm. They prefer wooded swamps, beaver ponds, and slow rivers, where they feed on acorns, seeds, and insects. Wood ducks were once rare, and nest boxes helped bring them back.

To learn more about this bird and its habitat, visit the wood duck page at All About Birds.

Here are some of my favourite frames of this bird.

Field notes in photographs

  • Wood duck photographed in Manitoba, 1
  • Wood duck photographed in Manitoba, 2
  • Male wood duck swimming on golden rippled water, Manitoba
  • Male wood duck swimming beside cattails

Wood duck Manitoba sightings

Where and when you can find the wood duck in Manitoba depends on the season and the habitat. You can see more species in the Manitoba birds section.

Map of Manitoba showing where the wood duck nests and migrates, with major cities and lakes
Where to look for the wood duck in Manitoba through the seasons: nesting in the Boreal Plains and the Prairies (gold) and passing through the Boreal Shield in spring and fall (lilac). Habitat regions: National Ecological Framework for Canada. Boundaries: Statistics Canada. Lakes: Natural Earth.

Back to Manitoba bird photography, or see the portfolio.

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