Botany Pond now harbors (temporarily, I think) a pair of the most beautiful American ducks: wood ducks (Aix sponsa), in the same genus as mallards. At first I mistook them for mallards on the duckcam, but when I went down to investigate, it was clear that they were a bonded pair of woodies.
I love these ducks, but one or two show up at Botany Pond only every couple of years, and they do not breed here. We had a post-breeding pair, Frisky and Ruth, a few years ago, but although they hung around a while, it was after they had bred, and they were probably headed south. My photos from that era have disappeared from this site, but here is Frisky nuzzling Ruth. It’s one of my favorite duck photos (I like to imagine that wood ducks are very romantic!):
Frisky was so named because although the mallards chased him, he was very quick and adept at sneaking among them at feeding time to get pellets. After he filled his belly, he’d get quite rotund and then perch on a knob of the bald cypress that used to be in the pond. He used that knob so often we called it The Sacred Knob. Here he is having a postprandial rest. Look at those colors!
Males have satanic red eyes. Here’s a closeup of Frisky’s head. Their bills are short compared to those of mallards.
They’re called “wood ducks” because they nest in treeholes and perch on trees—nearly the only species of duck to do so. Sure enough, when I first saw them a few days ago, they were both up in trees next to the pond. I thought they left, but, sure enough, they were back three days ago and haven’t left since.
Some photos of our new pair. Feel free to suggest names, but they should be fitting for these glorious birds.
The new male:
. . . and the new female. The shots aren’t great as I took them in the early morning when it was light, and the shutter speed was slow:
Wikipedia describes them like this:
The adult male has stunning multicolored iridescent plumage and red eyes, with a distinctive white flare down the neck. The female, less colorful, has a white eye-ring and a whitish throat. Both adults have crested heads. The speculum is iridescent blue-green with a white border on the trailing edge.
Besotted with each other, the ducks are always together. Here are two videos of our new pair swimming together:
In this next video, the male gives her a little kiss 6 seconds in. He then chirps at her (they don’t quack).
The loving couple. Look at that sexual dimorphism! These ducks are in full breeding plumage:
Vashti is nesting nearby, and Armon is always in the pond waiting for her to drop in for a quick snack, a drink, and a preen before she hurries back to her nest. There are seven lovely green eggs in Vashti’s nest, and I anticipate ducklings will hatch around April 20 (a bit early in the season) if all goes well.
Armon chases the woodies, but only in a desultory manner, and they manage to sneak some of the food I give him. At other times he allows them to rest next to him on the rocks.
Here’s Armon halfheartedly chasing the female. He never gets near either of them as they swim faster than he, and they can simply jump out of the pond when they’re tired of being chased.
Ducks on the rocks (a good name for a drink). You can see that Armon doesn’t mind them being nearby so long as it’s not feeding time. The size difference between mallards and woodies is clear:
The male is like a feathered jewel! Here is the range of Aix sponsa from Wikipedia. As you see, Chicago is in their year-round range.
You might be able to see them on the DuckCam if you look now, but keep looking from time to time. In the meantime, feel free to suggest woody names, and get ready for mallard ducklings in a few weeks.
I think the woodies will soon depart to breed in a place where there are trees with holes.
I’ll add a Smithsonian video of a large clutch of hatched woodies jumping about 50 feet down to the water as mother calls them:
I love Wood Ducks. Coincidentally my Facebook memory showed me that I posted a bunch of photos of Wood Ducks exactly 10 years ago. I will send some of these and some other Wood Duck photos your way for Readers’ Wildlife photos.
I asked Claude for name recommendations, based on either ancient literature/mythology, or Shakespeare. Here’s the response:
[begin quotation]
From Shakespeare:
Oberon & Titania — reversed intentionally: the Fairy Queen’s name given to the drab hen, while the gloriously appareled King takes Oberon. There’s a dry irony in it given their quarrels.
Benedick & Beatrice — less about appearance, more about the male’s showiness versus the female’s sharp plainness. A stretch, but charming.
Iago & Emilia — dark humor: the brilliant, colorful deceiver paired with the overlooked, plain-spoken woman.
From Mythology:
Narcissus & Echo — arguably the best fit. Narcissus, besotted with his own brilliant reflection; Echo, faded and insubstantial, reduced to mere repetition of another’s voice. The wood duck drake preening on the water is almost too perfect.
Apollo & Cassandra — the radiant god paired with the prophetess no one heeded, perpetually in the shadows.
Paris & Helen — he the vain, ornamented prince; she (counterintuitively to myth) assigned here as the quieter figure behind all the spectacle.
My recommendation: Narcissus & Echo. The imagery is precise — a brilliantly colored drake admiring himself in still water, beside a hen who blends into the reeds — and both names are immediately recognizable without requiring explanation.
[end quotation]
I like “Benedick and Beatrice,” because “Much Ado About Nothing” is, I think, Shakespeare’s funniest play. But I would change the male name to “Beneduck,” because of course you have to. Beneduck and Beatrice.
But Claude’s preference for Narcissus and Echo is excellent, too.
I’ll vote for Beneduck and Beatrice.
And they’re gorgeous. Hope they stay on a while.
Beneduck & Beakatrix!
Too bad they don’t breed over there, but perhaps just as well. Different batches of ducklings can bring out the worst instincts from the parents.
Why was the Cypress cut down?
I was told that its roots were impinging on the side of the pond, cracking it and causing leaks.
There were two cypresses cut down to make the present swimming pool.
I must say the clarity of the pond is striking and I think the makeover was a net positive, even though I really miss those cyprus trees. I hope the water stays sparkling and clear, though that’s so unusual for a “pond”. I bet by Summer’s end, it will be the obligatory opaque pond-green.
Bogart and Bacall, because they have movie star glamour? I agree with Robert above, perhaps name them after a famous couple.
Maybe Fred (Astaire) and Ginger (Rogers). They dance so beautifully together.
I love both of these suggestions!
As do I. Short, sweet and classic.
Beautiful birds. Interesting that they don’t breed in Chicago. I see them regularly in the Pacific Northwest on the Sammamish River, but they don’t seem to breed here either. I didn’t know that until I looked at the map.
Though their love story did not have a happy ending, it is a romance that has endured ever since:
Abelard and Heloise
Calvin (for Calvin Klein) and Maybelline (or some other fashion-related female name).
For some reason, I immediately recalled the story from Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry decides the handsome inventor Henry can be trusted because he is devoted to his wife, Gabby, who is much less attractive than him (relatively speaking).
All the same, I vote for Beneduck and Beatrice, or second, Narcissus and Echo.
The wood ducks are spectacular. Congratulations!
One hates to disagree with our host but could I put in a vote for the gadwall Mareca strepera as America’s (and Canada’s) most beautiful duck?
From a distance they seem drab grey birds. But up close they are spectacularly patterned. Males have a hidden chestnut wing patch and a distinctive big black butt. Both sexes have a subtle black eye line (like perfectly done makeup).
https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/gadwall
If I could have a cuddleduck at home in my bathtub this would be the one.
Yes, you can put in your vote, and gadwall males are certainly gorgeous, what with their stripy pattern, but they lack the gorgeous iridescent colors of the male woodie. And they don’t have a crest!
They are beautiful!
How sbout Woody and Jessie from Toy Story 2. Not mates but definitely partners in the cowboy sense.
I love wood ducks, so much so that I have a walking stick with a wood duck head, complete with red eyes.
I’ve never seen such beautiful ducks. I’m on holiday in Portugal and keeping an eye out for wildlife, but the ducks I saw here today can’t compare with the wood ones.
The male is so beautiful he hardly looks real.
I suggest Aurora (or Aphrodite) and Adonis (or Apollo).
I contemplate why their range includes Cuba but not Jamaica, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, not that far away as the duck flies.
Beautiful Wood ducks! There are many mallards here in Christchurch, New Zealand. None compare to the Botany Pond Wood Ducks. What a beautiful sight! Thank you Jerry 🌞
Sorry for the pedantry but Wood Ducks are not in the same genus as Mallards. The former are in the Aix genus, which contains only one other species, the equally showy Mandarin Duck, whereas the latter are in the Anas genus, which contains several other species.
Keep feedin’ and let’s see how long they stick around! So fun. Can they make an exception to the hole-in-the-tree nest if fed regularly?
Name suggestion: Philemon and Baucis, the loving couple who, when they died, were turned into intertwining trees.
That would be quite appropriate, seeing as they are wood ducks.
I think so!