Wood Duck Pair

Here are a couple more Wood Ducks. The one on the left appears to be a male with its eclipse plumage, which is far more subdued feathering than you're probably used to seeing in Wood Ducks. The one on the right is more likely a female, though immature Wood Ducks of both genders look similar to mature female Wood Ducks.

Anthropomorphizing a bit, seeing them look in opposite directions might make it look like they're a couple who had an argument and are trying not to look at each other. It's possible that they're a romantic couple - Wood Ducks are considered monogamous - though there were other Wood Ducks around too, and they don't start to pair off until more like January.

I usually feel at least a little bit lucky when I run across Wood Ducks (more so if I'm able to get a good picture), and seeing a Wood Duck has traditionally been associated with good luck. I suspect though that this was because seeing a Wood Duck meant you might be able to hunt it for both food and feathers (the feathers of the males are among the showiest of game birds), so your good luck translated into bad luck for the duck.

September 1, 2022 at Duke Island Park
Photo 238905910, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)


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