We sometimes think of ducks as clumsy barnyard birds that waddle around quacking like cartoon characters. A duck on land is awkward, but in the water it's totally at home, swimming as smoothly as a sailboat, or diving like a submarine. And in the air, wild ducks winging across a sunset sky is one of Nature's prettiest sights. Two of the world's most beautiful ducks happen to be American natives; the exquisitely-colored Wood Duck, or "Woody," which feeds primarily on plant life near the surface, and the elegant Hooded Merganser, or "Hoody," which feeds mainly by diving for fish. These two ducks are quite different in their feeding habits. But both prefer to nest in hollow trees or man-made nest boxes, which brings them into competition. Females sometimes even lay eggs in each other's nests. This behavior can lead to amusing mix-ups for "WOODIES AND HOODIES".
