The wood duck, Aix sponsa, is one of the most distinctive and beautiful dabblers (i.e., ducks that don’t usually dive for food, but rather skim food from the surface or feed by tipping the head and neck forward. https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Dabblers_vs._Divers.html ). The helmet-shaped head of the male is iridescent green and outlined with white slashes. The eyes and upper beak are red. The helmet of the female is plain, but the eyes are outlined dramatically in white.
Avian Note Art 