wood duck
1
5.8
- noun
- /wʊd dʌk/
- US
:
pato de madera
- Wood ducks can often be spotted nesting in wood ducks near the water.
- wood duck hen
- wood duck box
- wood duck nest
Examples
-
We still have wood ducks around, and I'm still seeing blue-wings and green-wings.
Blog text (10) -
During the spring, many wood ducks migrate to wooded areas for breeding.
-
And wood ducks had more places to hide from predators and to find food for their young.
Academic text (1993) -
A pair of wood ducks was swimming along the shoreline.
Fiction book (2002) -
After doing some research this week, I found a location in Maryland where 80 wood ducks were spotted last Sunday.
Blog text (21) -
There is a fifty-five mph highway at one end of the pond, and a nesting pair of wood ducks at the other.
Fiction book (1998) -
In northeast Ohio, where I grew up, wood ducks were synonymous with beaver swamps.
Blog text (23) -
Some nest in cavities in the trees, while others, like turkeys, mallards, and wood ducks, eat small acorns from pin oaks.
Academic text (1993) -
At the nature reserve, wood ducks are frequently seen swimming in the ponds.
Synonyms
A brightly colored North American duck that nests in hollow trees
A colorful duck from North America that nests in hollow trees
A colorful North American bird that nests in holes in trees
A male duck with bright colourful feathers found in North America
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward noun compound where 'wood' modifies 'duck', so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a duck associated with woods or wooded areas. While the detailed species traits (color, nesting behavior) are extra information, the basic meaning 'a duck that lives in/near woods' is directly derivable and follows common cross-linguistic compounding patterns.
Etymology
The name wood duck comes from the bird's way of nesting in holes in trees in the woods. The word wood points to those trees, so the name means a duck that 'lives' in wooded places.