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Wood duck nests are over water to brace the fall when the chicks jump they can jump from as high as 50 feet. [18] The mother calls them to her and guides them to water. [17] The ducklings can swim and find their own food by this time. Wood ducks prefer nesting over water so the young have a soft landing.
The Australian wood duck, maned duck or maned goose (Chenonetta jubata) is a dabbling duck found throughout much of Australia. It is the only living species in the genus Chenonetta . Traditionally placed in the subfamily Anatinae (dabbling ducks), it might belong to the subfamily Tadorninae (shelducks); [ 2 ] the ringed teal may be its closest ...
Nesting sites are typically on the ground, hidden in vegetation where the female's speckled plumage serves as effective camouflage, [90] but female mallards have also been known to nest in hollows in trees, boathouses, roof gardens and on balconies, sometimes resulting in hatched offspring having difficulty following their parent to water. [91]
The young have a very high mortality rate. Wood ducks normally live 3 to 4 years. Mandarin ducks are also monogamous. The courtship ritual, like the plumage, is rather showy. The female lays between 9 and 12 eggs in a cavity nest, then incubates them for about 30 days.
After that, the male leaves the female to incubate and care for the brood. Females will actively seek out cavities in dead trees or artificial nest boxes such as those provided for nesting wood ducks. They prefer cavities 4–15 feet off the ground. Breeding occurs anytime between the end of February and the end of June, depending on the region.
The female is light brown, with plumage much like a female mallard. It can be distinguished from that species by the dark orange-edged bill, smaller size, the white speculum, and white belly. [12] Both sexes go through two moults annually, following a juvenile moult. [10] The gadwall is a quieter duck, except during its courtship display.
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The word duck comes from Old English dūce 'diver', a derivative of the verb *dūcan 'to duck, bend down low as if to get under something, or dive', because of the way many species in the dabbling duck group feed by upending; compare with Dutch duiken and German tauchen 'to dive'.