You’ll Know if You’ve Seen a Wooden Duck!
These are distinct, gorgeous geese! The male is a patchwork quilt made up of an iridescent inexperienced and chestnut-brown head with a crimson eye, brilliant crimson and yellow on the beak, white-spotted brown chest, delicately patterned buffy stomach, blue accents on the wings and daring white markings delineating every space. The feminine has beautiful blue feathers accenting her wings – a “speculum” patch – offering distinction to her major gray/brown color, and a beautiful white teardrop across the eye complemented by a placing yellow eye-ring.
Atmosphere for the America’s has chosen a completely attractive duck to be one of many ambassadors for The Birds of World Migratory Hen Day 2024!
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Left: Shut-up of a male Wooden Duck’s head with its placing crimson eye.
Proper: Shut-up of a feminine Wooden Duck along with her brilliant yellow eye ring.
Pictures by Janette Niwa
Why are they named Wooden Geese, you ask? As a result of they nest in tree cavities (or nesting containers) and may be seen flying gracefully by way of forests, shocking many a human! They’re considered one of few duck species who’ve claws on their toes which permit them to grip and perch on bushes.1
The place are you able to see these beauties?
Wooden Geese breed throughout a lot of the US and southern Canada, however they aren’t year-round residents the place it will get chilly. As a substitute, many migrate south to spend the winter in hotter areas like Mexico and Cuba.2 You can even see a photograph of 1 proper right here:
Wooden Geese (foreground) are significantly smaller than Mallards (background).
Most Wooden Geese keep away from the snow by flying south in winter.
Photograph by Nui Soonthornhut Esser
As you may see, Wooden Geese are a lot smaller than Mallards. The place Mallards are 50 to 65 cm in size and weigh 1 to 1.3 kg3, Wooden Geese vary from about 47 to 54 cm and are solely 454 to 862 grams4. Search for these medium-sized geese in bushes or water in wetland areas like swamps, freshwater marshes, and beaver ponds. You’ll additionally discover them at rivers and streams the place there’s vegetative cowl like vegetation and downed bushes the place they’ll forage and conceal.
Evaluating Geese: Dabbling vs. Diving vs. Perching
Some geese dive underwater to get meals from the depths of the underside, reappearing after some time additional away. Others dabble with their butt up and head down, reaching underwater to drag meals from the floor and shallow depths. Whereas Wooden Geese eat by dabbling, similar to Mallards, they’ve a extra defining attribute. Not like most geese in Canada, they perch on bushes, because of the claws on their toes! Beforehand categorized as dabbling, this has modified, and they’re now usually categorized as perching geese.5
Primarily an herbivore, Wooden Geese eat vegetation comparable to duckweeds, grasses, sedges, waterlily, and pondweed, in addition to seeds and acorns. In addition they rely closely on protein-rich bugs together with dragonflies, beetles, caterpillars, and spiders.6 Residing in marshes and swamplands, a wholesome habitat for bugs makes foraging for snack meals a lot simpler! As with the opposite chook ambassadors for Nature Canada’s World Migratory Hen Day, Wooden Geese are counting on us to maintain this habitat wholesome, pesticide-free, and supportive of native species.
Are Wooden Duck ducklings as Lovely because the Adults?
Let’s be sincere – ALL ducklings are lovely with smooth, fluffy feathers, cute little “cheeps”, their innate potential to dive underwater for security, and their pleasant cuddle-puddles! Whereas they appear comparable, Wooden Duck ducklings may be differentiated from Mallards by their color. As a substitute of wanting yellowish like Mallards, Wooden Duck ducklings usually have white bellies and brown backs with longer tails. However maybe the most important distinction, moreover dimension, is the “eye line”. In Mallards the black line goes from the beak to the attention after which continues from the attention again, whereas for Wooden Duck ducklings the attention line solely begins on the eye.
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Are you able to determine the duckling species?
On the left is a Mallard and on the proper is a sleeping Wooden Duck – discover the completely different eye line.
Pictures by Christina Huppé
Feminine Wooden Geese do all of the work to maintain eggs and ducklings, and they’re busy girls, usually having 1 to 2 broods per season and 6 to 16 eggs in every clutch. They nest in pre-made tree cavities wherever from 1 to 18 meters excessive – and better is usually higher. The females generally follow “intraspecific brood parasitism”, laying eggs within the nests of different Wooden Geese.6 After about one month of incubation, the younger hatch alert and use the claws on their toes to crawl out of the cavity inside and leap out to the bottom sooner or later after hatching. Mild and fluffy, they often bounce on the leaf litter on the forest ground. It takes 7 to 10 weeks for the fluffy ducklings to develop into full grownup Wooden Geese, able to fly south for his or her first winter.
Whereas most Wooden Duck mums select a tree near the water, not all do. Some nest virtually so far as 2 km away from water, which is why typically you see a brood of ducklings in awkward, unsafe locations. Wooden Duck ducklings could should navigate a fancy maze of streets, fences, pets, and predators to succeed in water – however you may assist!
Duckling Rescue
Hen rescue organizations and rehabbers obtain lots of calls in the summertime about orphaned or injured ducklings. In Canada’s capital, Secure Wings Ottawa has taken on the rescue and fostering of ducklings for the previous two years because of the challenges avian influenza and quarantine necessities current. Secure Wings has primarily acquired Mallard and Wooden Duck ducklings, with a couple of Widespread Mergansers as properly. Wooden Duck ducklings are fairly “delicate” in comparison with the extra sturdy Mallards.
Wooden Duck ducklings are notoriously onerous to rehabilitate. Not like the extra laid-back Mallards, they’re very high-stress and require specialised care. This consists of tube feeding each 3 to 4 hours from daybreak to nightfall till they begin to self-feed, sauna time twice a day, and placing them in “time-outs” in the event that they turn out to be too anxious or confused in the course of the day. Moreover, they require a location the place they’ll burrow and keep heat and an enclosure that’s excessive sufficient to forestall them from leaping out.
Wooden Duck duckling in care with Secure Wings
Photograph by Christina Huppé
Given how difficult it’s to lift Wooden Geese, this job is greatest carried out by their moms. Right here’s how one can assist maintain Wooden Duck ducklings within the wild.
Ducklings are swimming in my pool or in my yard – what do I do?
Should you discover a brood of ducklings in your yard, pool, in courtyard, making an attempt to cross a avenue, or wherever that appears hazardous, you may assist get them safely on their manner by giving them area and retaining them away from risks like pets and vehicles. You possibly can name a wildlife rescuer or rehabber for steering, or the native police non-emergency line for assist with visitors (by no means put your self at risk). It doesn’t matter what, it’s greatest to behave shortly.
Swimming pools current a shocking hazard to ducklings, as they’ll leap in however usually can’t get out and will tire and drown. Whether or not for geese or frogs, squirrels, chipmunks, or your pets, it’s preferrred to go away a plank with non-slip “grippy” materials on the fringe of the pool in order that animals can safely escape. Putting the sting parallel with the aspect of the pool is greatest as a result of any animal making an attempt to get out will circle the sting and discover the ramp. Alternatively, you should buy pre-made merchandise just like the Frog Log or comparable objects.
Window wells are one other hazard for ducklings. Birds, frogs, and different small animals fall into the properly and can’t get out. Checking usually can save a life and one other non-slip ramp offers a protected manner out.
Take a look at the following tips from the Humane Society. Should you do get ducklings caught in your pool or window properly, put in a ramp or floating materials, and provides an area chook rescue a name straight away!
Benefit from the Fantastic thing about Wooden Geese
Whether or not you’re having fun with a flock of geese on land, a raft of them paddling within the water, or a skein of geese flying overhead7, you’ll want to search for the gorgeous Wooden Duck. You possibly can present your appreciation by serving to to guard Canada’s wetlands, with its richness of vegetative meals and bugs, and by retaining an eye fixed out for ducklings in want of a serving to hand. Cheers to one of many fantastic ambassadors of World Migratory Hen Day 2024!
