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Wood Duck Aix sponsa Pato Huyuyo
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Photo: R. Rodríguez Mojica
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A colorful duck with an iridescent crest and a red bill; the female is dull brown with a white eye ring. Length: 43-51 cm.; weight: 482-879 g. Audio (M. Oberle). Breeds in southern Canada and much of the lower 48 States. It nests in tree cavities or artificial nest boxes. Ducklings leave the nest soon after hatching and will safely jump 2-20 meters or more from a nest cavity onto the ground below. Accidental in wetlands on Puerto Rico. On its breeding grounds, this species has been increasing by 5.7% per year in the period 1966-1998, due to organized efforts to set out nest boxes. Consequently, the Wood Duck may be one migrant more likely to occur in the future in the Caribbean. TAXONOMY: ANSERIFORMES; ANATIDAE; Anatinae |
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Photo: J. Wilson
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Photo: B. Hallett
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References Bent, A.C. 1923. Life histories of North American wild fowl, part 1. Smithsonian Instit. U.S. National Museum Bull. 126. (Reprinted by Dover Press, NY, 1962). del Hoyo, J., A. Elliott, and J. Sargatal, eds. 1992. Handbook of Birds of the World, Vol. 1. Ostrich to ducks. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Ehrlich, P.R., D.S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1988. The birderÆs handbook: a field guide to the natural history of North American birds. Simon and Schuster/Fireside, NY. Hepp, G. R., and F. Bellrose. 1995. Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). No. 169 in The birds of North America (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). Acad. Nat. Sci., Philadelphia, PA, and Am. Ornithol. Union, Washington, D.C. Madge, S. and H. Burn. 1988. Wildfowl: an identification guide to the ducks, geese, and swans of the world. C. Helm, London. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Princeton. Raffaele, H.A. 1989. Una guía a las aves de Puerto Rico y las Islas Vírgenes. Publishing Resources, Inc., Santurce, PR. Raffaele, H.A., J.W. Wiley, O.H. Garrido, A.R. Keith, and J.I. Raffaele. 1998. Guide to the birds of the West Indies. Princeton. Next related species in taxonomic order Previous related species in taxonomic order |
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