Leafy vegetation, seeds, and fruits form the bulk of their diet throughout most of the year. Small acorns of many oaks are important food items during the winter in Alabama. Grains of agricultural crops are eaten readily when available. Insects, spiders, and small crustaceans are essential sources of protein for egg-laying hens and growing ducklings. These invertebrates comprise nearly 100 percent of duckling diets during their first few weeks after hatching.
Wood ducks are dabblers, meaning they feed by tipping-up in shallow water.
They rarely dive or entirely submerge to get food. Food items must be available within 18 inches of the water's surface. Most feeding is done in water 3 to 18 inches deep. Wood ducks will leave water to feed on acorns or in agricultural fields, but they prefer to feed in shallow water interspersed with brushy cover. Wood ducks nest almost exclusively in cavities.