The Wood Duck or Carolina Duck (Aix sponsa) is a species of duck found in North America. It is one of the most colourful of North American waterfowl.
The Wood Duck is a medium-sized perching duck

Perching duck

The perching ducks were previously treated as a small group of ducks in the duck, goose and swan family Anatidae, grouped together on the basis of their readiness to perch high in trees...

. A typical adult is from 47 to 54 cm (18.5 to 21.3 in) in length with a wingspan of between 66 to 73 cm (26 to 28.7 in). This is about three-quarters of the length of an adult Mallard

Mallard

The Mallard , or Wild Duck , is a dabbling duck which breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand and Australia....

. It shares its genes with the Asian Mandarin Duck

Mandarin Duck

The Mandarin Duck , or just Mandarin, is a medium-sized perching duck, closely related to the North American Wood Duck. It is 41–49 cm long with a 65–75 cm wingspan.-Description:...

 (Aix galericulata).

The adult male has distinctive multicoloured iridescent plumage and red eyes,with a distinctive white flare down the neck.