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. Young ducklings will sometimes drop more than 20 feet from the nest to the ground and can also swim shortly after hatching. Woodies are swift flyers and rapidly zip around trees and other objects as they fly through timber. They make a distinct whistling sound as they fly.
Wood ducks eat acorns, seeds and insects.
Wood ducks were almost extinct at the turn of the century but conservation efforts and numerous duck boxes have helped restore populations of this colorful and popular waterfowl species. The North Fork of the Little River in the Hopkinsville, Kentucky area will become a better urban fishery thanks to a stream enhancement project that was funded by Wildlife Forever. The project involved installing deflectors at 16 locations along a three mile stretch of the river. Deflectors cause waters to create deeper channels and provide cooler water for fish during hot summer months. This project is one phase of an extensive river restoration project that will affect more than 28,000 residents in and around the town.