PHOTO: Male Wood Ducks make a splash in the waters of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge

[Beverly Meekins photo]

Male ducks are called drakes. And some of the most stunning drakes on Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge are wood ducks, known scientifically as Aix sponsa. Female wood ducks are much more plain looking mostly brown with white & black highlights.

In North America, wood ducks are the only duck that gives birth to two broods in a year. Their diet consists of insects, grains, spiders, seeds, fruits and crustaceans.

Photographer Beverly Meekins recently captured the featured photo of two drakes strolling through the waters of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge.

To learn more about the National Wildlife Refuges Visitor Center (located on Roanoke Island) and the national wildlife refuges represented here, visit www.fws.gov.

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