Wood duck hen, United States (© ps50ace/iStock/Getty Images)

The wood duck, pictured here, is one of the most colourful waterfowl in North America. Males dazzle with iridescent plumage, red eyes and a bold white flare down the neck, while females have a softer look, with grey-brown feathers, a white eye-ring and a pale throat. Both have a small crest on the head, and their wings show a blue-green patch edged in white.