Q: I snapped a photo of a female hooded merganser leading her ducklings in the water. But here’s the strange part: They weren’t all the same species as their mother — some were wood ducks, some were ...

Wood ducks are the only perching ducks native to the U.S. and Canada. Courtesy of Liz Rose Fisher Just 17 of more than 120 duck species worldwide perch in trees.

Duck bills are not made for excavating cavities in trees, so the female wood duck must find a ready-made nest site. That can be an old pileated woodpecker nest, or an otherwise naturally occurring ...

The wood duck and hooded merganser are two native ducks that are cavity nesters, seeking holes in dead trees or utilizing large nesting boxes created by humans in which to lay their eggs.

Unlike some water birds, such as herons, that build stick nests in trees, wood ducks use cavities. Since they aren't equipped to excavate their own holes, they use preexisting openings.

Rotting trees with cavities used to provide these ducks with places to nest, but logging and our desire to “improve” our shorelines have eliminated many of these dying trees, making man-made ...

Wood ducks are cavity nesters, using natural hollows in tree trunks. They readily accept nest boxes. Check with the Missouri Department of Conservation for nest box specifics.

E.G. Kingsford (1917) was camping near a wood duck tree nest in Michigan and wrote, “…one morning before sunrise she flew by from the tree to the river with a little duck in her beak… ...

Wood ducks nest seasonally in forested areas across North America from coast to coast in southern Canada and the northern tier of states. From southern British Columbia, a narrow strip of breeding ...

In the Eastern and Mississippi Flyways wood ducks are abundant and accessible. According to Ducks Unlimited, wood ducks were second in total harvest in the Mississippi and Atlantic flyways in 25 out ...