Related Links

• Did you know the wetlands ducks call home are disappearing? Learn how you can help conserve wetlands for waterfowl, other wildlife and people to enjoy!
• How do wetlands work?
• More ducks and other wetland wildlife!
• Top 10 Wetland Facts
• Migration Maps

 

You're a Wood duck!

You were banded in a wooded beaver pond (a type of wetland) near Lake Ontario in spring where you were nesting.

A year earlier your parents came here to nest too. Your mom laid you and nine other creamy white eggs in an old woodpecker hole. Like most wood ducks, your mom preferred to nest in a natural cavity, or hole in a tree. Many people help wood ducks by putting up wooden “nest boxes” for them to build nests in.

When the weather turned cold in the fall, you migrated south. You found a winter home along the coast of South Carolina, U.S.A. where there were plenty of plants and seeds to eat.

When you return to Canada next spring, you’ll look just like your famous dad, with a colourful head and shiny feathers.

Download certificate!

Download a customized certificate (PDF, 1.3 MB) with your name to show your friends and family!

Banding or marking ducks helps scientists learn more about them and what they need to survive. Protec ting wetlands is one way to help ducks.

Fast Facts:

• one of the most colourful and beautiful of ducks
• has sharp claws for perching in trees
• feeds on acorns
• Wood ducks depend on hollows in old trees for nesting
• Through Ducks Unlimited Canada’s efforts people have installed thousands of nest boxes in wetlands to help create plenty of nest spots for wood ducks and others, helping to conserve this beautiful bird.