Wood Duck
Wood DuckWood DuckWood DuckWood Duck

Wood Duck

Aix sponsa

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Saguaro National Park
2,114 Verified sightings at Saguaro National Park From 2019 to 2026
13,654 Verified sightings across all 39 parks From 2019 to 2026
January Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

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 →

Closest Relatives at Saguaro National Park

Mallard
LC

Mallard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas platyrhynchos

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
American Wigeon
LC

American Wigeon

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mareca americana

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Ring-necked Duck
LC

Ring-necked Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aythya collaris

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Northern Shoveler
LC

Northern Shoveler

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula clypeata

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Ruddy Duck
LC

Ruddy Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Oxyura jamaicensis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
Cinnamon Teal
LC

Cinnamon Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula cyanoptera

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Common Teal
LC

Common Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas crecca

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Northern Pintail
LC

Northern Pintail

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas acuta

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Gadwall
LC

Gadwall

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Mareca strepera

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Mexican Duck

Mexican Duck

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Anas diazi

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Blue-winged Teal
LC

Blue-winged Teal

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Spatula discors

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
Snow Goose
LC

Snow Goose

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Anser caerulescens

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~40%
2 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
4 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
7 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
9 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
11 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
12 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
13 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
14 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
15 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
16 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
17 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
18 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
19 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
20 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
21 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
22 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
23 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
24 Ciénaga de Zapata 🇨🇺 Cuba
<5%
25 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
26 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
27 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
28 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
29 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
30 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
31 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
32 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
Insufficient data
33 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
Insufficient data
34 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
35 Big Cypress National Preserve 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
36 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
37 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
38 Everglades National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data
39 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
Insufficient data

Quick answers

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

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Duck sighting in Saguaro National Park, based on 2,114 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Wood Duck in Saguaro National Park?

January has the highest sighting rate for Wood Duck in Saguaro National Park in our monthly data.

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