Bird
Wood Duck
Aix sponsa
Lives in Mississippi all year and nests here. Found in all 82 counties, across 7 habitats.
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 82 counties
- Habitats
- 7

At a glance
- Group
- Birds
- Here
- All year
- Nesting
- Nests here
- Range
- All 82 counties
- Habitats
- 7
- Habitat models
- Summer, Winter
Where it lives
The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.
Habitats in Mississippi 7
Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Open, wet, seepage-fed bogs of the Coastal Plain and Sandhills, often with pitcher plants.
Coastal tidal marshes (salinity not stated)
Tidal marshes of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts where the source does not say whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt. A stated salinity files the marsh under freshwater tidal marshes or salt and brackish marshes instead.
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Wet ground taken over by weedy or introduced plants after disturbance, such as common reed, Chinese tallow or tamarisk stands; the upland counterpart is roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.
Still water and its edges: ponds, lakes, millponds and reservoirs.
Other habitats in its models (58)
Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Mississippi. Those recorded in Mississippi first, the rest by region.
Elsewhere in the South (30)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Embayed Region Tidal Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Indian River Lagoon Tidal Marsh Summer.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Large Natural Lakeshore Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Summer.
- Central Florida Herbaceous Pondshore Summer and winter.
- Cumberland Riverscour Summer.
- East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Summer.
- Florida Big Bend Fresh-Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
- Floridian Highlands Freshwater Marsh Summer and winter.
- Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Summer.
- Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Summer, only within 1,000 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
- Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Summer.
- Red River Large Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Flatwoods Summer, only within 1,000 m of water, for banks and other nest sites.
- South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods Summer.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain Summer and winter.
- South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian Summer and winter.
- Southern and Central Appalachian Bog and Fen Summer.
- Southern Coastal Plain Hydric Hammock Summer.
- Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Nonriverine Wet Hardwood Flatwoods Summer and winter.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall Summer.
- West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest Summer and winter.
Northeast (3)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Northern Fresh and Oligohaline Tidal Marsh Winter.
- North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods Summer.
- Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
Land cover and other classes (25)
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Herbaceous Wetland Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Depression Pondshore Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Oak Dominated Modifier Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Taxodium/Nyssa Modifier Summer and winter.
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall Summer and winter.
- Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems Summer and winter.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems Summer.
- Central Interior and Appalachian Swamp Systems Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
- East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Depression Pondshore Summer and winter.
- Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer.
- Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Summer.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
- Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Pine Modifier Summer and winter.
- Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
- Southern Piedmont/Ridge and Valley Upland Depression Swamp Summer.
- Unconsolidated Shore Summer and winter.
- Unconsolidated Shore (Lake/River/Pond) Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Depressional Wetland Systems Summer and winter.
- Western Great Plains Floodplain Systems Summer and winter.
Seasons in Mississippi
- Year-round: nests here, in all 82 counties.
Food plants
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Plants matched by genus.
Native plants in these genera 198
- Gulfdune PaspalumPaspalum monostachyum
- Matted CrowngrassPaspalum minus
- Paspalum plicatulumPaspalum plicatulum
- Sour CrowngrassPaspalum conjugatum
- Thin CrowngrassPaspalum setaceum
- Bull CrowngrassPaspalum boscianum
- Early CrowngrassPaspalum praecox
- Field PaspalumPaspalum laeve
- Florida PaspalumPaspalum floridanum
- Hairy Seed PaspalumPaspalum pubiflorum var. glabrum
- Hairyseed CrowngrassPaspalum pubiflorum
- Horsetail CrowngrassPaspalum fluitans
- KnotgrassPaspalum distichum
- Mudbank CrowngrassPaspalum dissectum
- Pitchfork CrowngrassPaspalum bifidum
- Seashore CrowngrassPaspalum vaginatum
- Erect KnotweedPolygonum erectum
- Water-shieldBrasenia schreberi
- Catchfly CutgrassLeersia lenticularis
- Rice CutgrassLeersia oryzoides
- Southern CutgrassLeersia hexandra
- White CutgrassLeersia virginica
- MaidencanePanicum hemitomon
- Panicum amarum var. amarulumPanicum amarum var. amarulum
Plant genera in its diet records (30)
- Paspalum Seeds. 4 diet records. 16 native plants in Mississippi
- Polygonum Seeds. 4 diet records. 1 native plant in Mississippi
- Aneilema Seeds. 3 diet records. 0 native plants in Mississippi
- Brasenia Seeds. 3 diet records. 1 native plant in Mississippi
- Leersia Seeds. 3 diet records. 4 native plants in Mississippi
- Panicum Seeds. 3 diet records. 14 native plants in Mississippi
- Potamogeton Leaves. 3 diet records. 9 native plants in Mississippi
- Vitis Seeds. 3 diet records. 10 native plants in Mississippi
- Bidens Seeds. 2 diet records. 8 native plants in Mississippi
- Echinochloa Seeds. 2 diet records. 4 native plants in Mississippi
- Liquidambar Seeds. 2 diet records. 1 native plant in Mississippi
- Nymphaea Seeds. 2 diet records. 2 native plants in Mississippi
- Quercus Seeds. 2 diet records. 38 native plants in Mississippi
- Rubus Fruit. 2 diet records. 6 native plants in Mississippi
- Sagittaria Roots. 2 diet records. 11 native plants in Mississippi
- Scleria Seeds. 2 diet records. 16 native plants in Mississippi
- Spirodela Leaves. 2 diet records. 1 native plant in Mississippi
- Taxodium Seeds. 2 diet records. 2 native plants in Mississippi
- Acer Seeds. 1 diet record. 11 native plants in Mississippi
- Boehmeria Seeds. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in Mississippi
- Cephalanthus Seeds. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in Mississippi
- Forestiera Seeds. 1 diet record. 2 native plants in Mississippi
- Glycine Seeds. 1 diet record. 0 native plants in Mississippi
- Lemna Seeds. 1 diet record. 6 native plants in Mississippi
- Ludwigia Seeds. 1 diet record. 16 native plants in Mississippi
- Planera Fruit. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in Mississippi
- Sassafras Seeds. 1 diet record. 1 native plant in Mississippi
- Triadenum Seeds. 1 diet record. 3 native plants in Mississippi
- Ulmus Seeds. 1 diet record. 5 native plants in Mississippi
- Viburnum Seeds. 1 diet record. 7 native plants in Mississippi
Also found in its main habitats
Its main habitats in Mississippi, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.
Swamps
Birds 109
- Louisiana WaterthrushSeiurus motacilla
- Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Kentucky WarblerOporornis formosus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Seaside SparrowAmmodramus maritimus
- Swainson's WarblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- Wilson's PloverCharadrius wilsonia
- Eurasian WigeonAnas penelope
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
Plants 291
- Black Highbush BlueberryVaccinium fuscatum
- Dahoon HollyIlex cassine
- Carolina AshFraxinus caroliniana
- Dense-flower SmartweedPersicaria densiflora
- Water HickoryCarya aquatica
- Swamp TupeloNyssa biflora
- Bent SedgeCarex styloflexa
- Cypress-swamp SedgeCarex joorii
- Dark-green SedgeCarex venusta
- Fringed SedgeCarex crinita
- Ravenfoot SedgeCarex crus-corvi
- Southern Long SedgeCarex lonchocarpa
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Birds 98
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Louisiana WaterthrushSeiurus motacilla
- Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Kentucky WarblerOporornis formosus
- Prothonotary WarblerProtonotaria citrea
- Swainson's WarblerLimnothlypis swainsonii
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Worm-eating WarblerHelmitheros vermivorum
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
Plants 346
- Elliott's BlueberryVaccinium elliottii
- White Panicled Aster; Eastern Lined AsterSymphyotrichum lanceolatum var. latifolium
- Possumhaw HollyIlex decidua
- Cherrybark OakQuercus pagoda
- Appalachian Orange ConeflowerRudbeckia fulgida var. umbrosa
- Shagbark HickoryCarya ovata
- Southern Shagbark HickoryCarya carolinae-septentrionalis
- Spruce Pine; Walters Pine; Cedar PinePinus glabra
- Blunt Broom SedgeCarex tribuloides
- Louisiana SedgeCarex louisianica
- Smooth Hedge-nettleStachys tenuifolia
- Common Cup-plantSilphium perfoliatum
Disturbed and introduced wetlands
Birds 158
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Bronzed CowbirdMolothrus aeneus
- DickcisselSpiza americana
- Bell's VireoVireo bellii
- Black-bellied PloverPluvialis squatarola
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorus
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- Chestnut-sided WarblerDendroica pensylvanica
- Magnolia WarblerDendroica magnolia
- Northern Saw-whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufus
Plants 26
- Slender FimbryFimbristylis autumnalis
- Intermediate Spike RushEleocharis intermedia
- Purple SpikerushEleocharis atropurpurea
- Blue MistflowerConoclinium coelestinum
- BagpodGlottidium vesicarium
- Cyperus ochraceusCyperus ochraceus
- False DaisyEclipta prostrata
- Blunt Spike RushEleocharis obtusa
- Bristly SedgeCarex comosa
- Shortbeak BeaksedgeRhynchospora nitens
- Southern Marsh YellowcressRorippa teres
- Sensitive FernOnoclea sensibilis
Sources
- USGS Gap Analysis Project habitat models (2001)
- USGS GAP winter habitat model for Wood Duck Fresh water only
- USGS Gap Analysis Project range maps (2001), modeled by watershed; migratory gives no dates
- NatureServe Explorer (CC BY 4.0), habitat names
- US Census TIGER/Line counties
- Names follow the USGS Gap Analysis Project (2001)
- Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab) (CC0 1.0), diet records by plant genus

































































