Wood Duck

Q: What are the chances of seeing a Wood Duck in Elk Island National Park?

Rare. Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Duck sighting in Elk Island National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 157th most-seen of the 161 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

Q: When is the best time to see a Wood Duck in Elk Island National Park?

April. In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Duck in Elk Island National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months.

Q: What time of day is best to see a Wood Duck?

Between 10 am and 1 pm. Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wood Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Q: Is Elk Island National Park the best place to see a Wood Duck?

15th of 25. Of the 25 parks where we can rate Wood Duck sightings, Elk Island National Park ranks 15th at under 5%. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 40%), Congaree National Park (United States, about 20%) and Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%).

Q: Which relatives of the Wood Duck live in Elk Island National Park?

Same family: Anatidae. The closest relatives of the Wood Duck that you can see in Elk Island National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Mallard (about 80%), Canada Goose (about 70%) and Blue-winged Teal (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Q: Where does the Wood Duck sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records. It is estimated from how often the Wood Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Elk Island National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

Aix sponsa

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR

KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
PhylumChordata (Chordates)
ClassAves (Birds)
OrderAnseriformes (Waterfowl)
FamilyAnatidae (Ducks, Geese, and Swans)
GenusAix (Wood and Mandarin Ducks)
SpeciesAix sponsa (Wood Duck)

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare

at Elk Island National Park

In 3 days <5%

9 Verified sightings at Elk Island National Park From 2019 to 2026

8,388 In all 25 parks

April Best month

☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Wood Duck

The wood duck or Carolina duck (Aix sponsa) is a partially migratory species of perching duck found in North America. The male is one of the most colorful North American waterfowls. The wood duck was formally described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Anas sponsa. Linnaeus based his account on the "summer duck" from Carolina that had been described and illustrated by the English naturalist Mark Catesby in the first volume of his The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands that was published between 1729 and 1731. Linnaeus specified the type locality as North America but this has been restricted to Carolina following Catesby. The wood duck is now placed together with the mandarin duck in the genus Aix that was introduced in 1828 by the German naturalist Friedrich Boie. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised. The genus name is an Ancient Greek word for an unidentified diving bird mentioned by Aristotle. The specific epithet sponsa is Latin meaning "bride" (from spodere meaning "pledge").

The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck.... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:15

Canada · 2021

Alarm call0:07

United States · 2017

Call0:10

France · 2020

Global Distribution

Where it is recorded most Our parks where it lives Our cities where it livesIn captivity: 157 zoos & centres

Parks Where Found

#	Park	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Point Pelee National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	~40%
2	Congaree National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
3	Acadia National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
4	Voyageurs National Park	🇺🇸 United States	~10%
5	Riding Mountain National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
6	Great Smoky Mountains National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
7	Yosemite National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
8	Olympic National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
9	Redwood National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
10	Big Bend National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
11	Death Valley National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
12	Shenandoah National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
13	Banff National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
14	Badlands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
15	Elk Island National Park	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
16	Channel Islands National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
17	Ciénaga de Zapata	🇨🇺 Cuba	<5%
18	Pacific Rim National Park Reserve	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
19	Glacier National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
20	Rocky Mountain National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
21	Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
22	Yellowstone National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
23	Grand Teton National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%
24	Great Bear Rainforest	🇨🇦 Canada	<5%
25	Saguaro National Park	🇺🇸 United States	<5%

Cities Where Found

#	City	Country	Daily sighting probability
1	Minneapolis [Saint Paul]	🇺🇸 United States	~40%
2	Vancouver	🇨🇦 Canada	~30%
3	Montreal	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%
4	Portland	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
5	Sacramento	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
6	Orlando	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
7	Dallas	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
8	Chicago	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
9	Seattle	🇺🇸 United States	~20%
10	Calgary	🇨🇦 Canada	~20%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

#	Zoo / Centre	Country
1	SeaWorld Orlando	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
2	Busch Gardens Tampa	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
3	San Diego Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
4	Prague Zoo	🇨🇿 Czechia	In captivity
5	National Zoological Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
6	Shedd Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
7	ZooParc de Beauval	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
8	Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
9	California Academy of Sciences	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
10	Parc Phœnix	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
11	Réserve africaine de Sigean	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
12	Parc des oiseaux	🇫🇷 France	In captivity
13	Abilene Zoological Gardens	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
14	Ecomuseum Zoo	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
15	Zoobotánico Jerez	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
16	Zoo sauvage Saint-Félicien	🇨🇦 Canada	In captivity
17	Zoo Miami	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
18	San Diego Zoo Safari Park	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
19	Taipei Zoo	🇹🇼 Taiwan	In captivity
20	Parque Zoológico	🇧🇷 Brazil	In captivity
21	Columbus Zoo and Aquarium	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
22	Bronx Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
23	Yumka'	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
24	Kansas City Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
25	Ramat Gan Safari	🇮🇱 Israel	In captivity
26	Cheyenne Mountain Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
27	Tehran Birds Garden	🇮🇷 Iran	In captivity
28	Parque Zoológico de León - Zooleón	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
29	Slimbridge Wetland Centre	🇬🇧 United Kingdom	In captivity
30	Phoenix Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
31	The Maryland Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
32	Wildlife World Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
33	Antalya Zoo	🇹🇷 Türkiye	In captivity
34	Guadalajara Zoo	🇲🇽 Mexico	In captivity
35	Novosibirsk Zoo	🇷🇺 Russia	In captivity
36	Dakota Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
37	Hellabrunn Zoo	🇩🇪 Germany	In captivity
38	Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
39	Kyiv Zoo	🇺🇦 Ukraine	In captivity
40	Saint Louis Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
41	Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park	🇹🇼 Taiwan	In captivity
42	Southwick's Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
43	Terra Natura Benidorm	🇪🇸 Spain	In captivity
44	Woodland Park Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
45	Temaikén	🇦🇷 Argentina	In captivity
46	Night Safari	🇸🇬 Singapore	In captivity
47	Fort Worth Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
48	Oregon Zoo	🇺🇸 United States	In captivity
49	Taronga Zoo	🇦🇺 Australia	In captivity
50	Chișinău Zoo	🇲🇩 Moldova	In captivity

Show all 50 Show fewer

Closest Relatives at Elk Island National Park

Anas platyrhynchos

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely

Branta canadensis

Daily sighting probability ~70% · Very likely

Spatula discors

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Aythya affinis

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely

Bucephala albeola

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Bucephala clangula

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Mareca strepera

Daily sighting probability ~50% · Likely

Anas carolinensis

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely

Mareca americana

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Aythya collaris

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Spatula clypeata

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Oxyura jamaicensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible

See all 12 relatives Show fewer

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Wood Duck in Elk Island National Park?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Duck sighting in Elk Island National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 157th most-seen of the 161 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Wood Duck in Elk Island National Park?

April

In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Duck in Elk Island National Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Wood Duck?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wood Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Elk Island National Park the best place to see a Wood Duck?

15th of 25

Of the 25 parks where we can rate Wood Duck sightings, Elk Island National Park ranks 15th at under 5%. The best odds are in Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 40%), Congaree National Park (United States, about 20%) and Acadia National Park (United States, about 10%).

Which relatives of the Wood Duck live in Elk Island National Park?

Same family: Anatidae

The closest relatives of the Wood Duck that you can see in Elk Island National Park (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Mallard (about 80%), Canada Goose (about 70%) and Blue-winged Teal (about 60%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Wood Duck sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Wood Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Elk Island National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Elk Island National Park

Wood Duck

About the Wood Duck

Sounds

Recent sightings of Wood Duck in Elk Island National Park

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

Cities Where Found

Zoos & Centres Where Found

Closest Relatives at Elk Island National Park

Mallard

Canada Goose

Blue-winged Teal

Lesser Scaup

Bufflehead

Common Goldeneye

Gadwall

Green-winged Teal

American Wigeon

Ring-necked Duck

Northern Shoveler

Ruddy Duck

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Wood Duck in Elk Island National Park?

When is the best time to see a Wood Duck in Elk Island National Park?

What time of day is best to see a Wood Duck?

Is Elk Island National Park the best place to see a Wood Duck?

Which relatives of the Wood Duck live in Elk Island National Park?

Where does the Wood Duck sighting chance come from?