00:00A Portrait of America's Wild Ducks, From Swamps to Skies
00:04A wood duck drake glides across a cypress swamp with painted feathers.
00:10America's wild ducks fill marshes, lakes, rivers, bays, flooded timber and prairie potholes.
00:16Wood ducks nest in tree cavities near swamps, then lead tiny ducklings down toward dark water.
00:23Mallards paddle through city ponds and wild wetlands,
00:26flashing green heads while dabbling for plants and insects.
00:31Northern pine tails sweep across open marshes with long necks, slim bodies and pointed tails during
00:36migration. Canvasbacks dive through deep lakes and bays using sloped red heads and strong bodies to
00:43reach underwater plants. Redheads gather on prairie wetlands where cinnamon heads and gray bodies
00:49stand out against brown reeds. Buffleheads bob on cold ponds diving quickly with white head patches,
00:56flashing between ripples. Hooded mergansers raise fan-shaped crests in wooded wetlands,
01:02then chase small fish under fallen branches. American widgeons whistle across shallow ponds
01:08grazing on aquatic plants with pale bills and green eyestripes. Blue-winged teal skim low over
01:14marsh grass, traveling south early when summer fades into fall. Ring-necked ducks dive in quiet lakes,
01:21showing peaked heads and pale rings around dark bills. Feathers, bills, crests, dives, whistles and
01:28migrations make American duck watching full of small clues. A wood duck slips beneath hanging moss
01:34while swamp water shines around its bright colors.
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