Wood ducks are dabblers, or puddle ducks, and they prefer small bodies of water. They feed by turning upright with their head underwater and their tails sticking up into the air. The male wood duck, or woodie, is one of the most colorful birds in North America. Its feathers can be colored green, purple, red, blue, yellow and white. Male woodies, or drakes, have red eyes.
Wood ducks molt, or loose feathers, twice a year.
A female, or hen, is brown. Woodies nest in hollow trees or in duck boxes that are correctly erected by man. A hen can lay up to 15 small tan eggs in a nest at a time. A hen will fly into the opening of the nest cavity and use her soft breast feathers as a stopping surface against the back of the cavity. Hens are easily caught by predators while they are nesting.