Weird wood ducks

#funfactfriday

Did you know the beautiful Wood Duck is the only 'perching duck' species in Canada?

This diverse group of ducks, swans, and geese are unique in their preference for perching in up in trees and nesting in tree cavities as high as 50 feet up! These ducks all have large, strong claws to help them better grip tree limbs and their tails and wings are shorter and broader than many other ducks in order to have better maneuverability when they are flying through wooded areas.

Wood Ducks' preference for nesting in large tree cavities means that when it comes time for the chicks to leave the nest, the only way out is... down! Just one single day after hatching from their eggs, Wood Duck chicks will leap to the ground from their nest - which can be over 50 feet up in the air!! The chicks are so small and light and fluffy that the fall does not cause injury and many times the chicks will actually bounce off the leaf litter on the ground.

Wood Duck claws (left) are larger than other ducks' claws, like this Common Goldeneye( right)