Wood duck, Quebec, Canada

© Maxime Riendeau/Getty Image

Wood duck, Quebec, Canada

Let's take a moment to admire the vibrant plumage of the wood duck, photographed in Quebec, Canada. Wood ducks, like the one in today's image, nest in tree cavities close to water and sometime take advantage of man-made boxes. They typically breed in wooded swamps, shallow lakes, marshes, ponds and creeks throughout the eastern United States, the west coast, parts of southern Canada and Mexico's west coast. Sometimes, they nest as far as a kilometre from their water source.

The females use feathers and other soft materials to line their nests, which are usually elevated, offering some protection from predators like raccoons, owls and hawks. During the breeding season, from February to April, you'll find the females laying 7–15 eggs. After breeding in the eastern and western United States and southern Canada, these ducks migrate southward in the fall to avoid harsh winter conditions. By October and November, they move towards milder climates in the southeastern United States and occasionally into Mexico.