What feeding behavior involves Wood Ducks tipping forward in shallow water to access food without fully submerging?
Answer
Dabbling
Wood Ducks exhibit a feeding style characteristic of dabbling ducks. This behavior allows them to access submerged resources located near the water's surface or in the soft bottom sediment of shallow pools, marshes, and ponds. Instead of plunging completely underwater, the bird maintains buoyancy, leveraging gravity to tip its body forward until only its rear end is visible above the surface while its head and neck reach the submerged vegetation or invertebrates. This method conserves energy compared to full submersion while enabling access to food unavailable to purely surface-feeding birds.
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