Woodies, like most ducks, have many characteristics to tell what kind of duck they are. Woodies mostly hang out out in groups of around 6 in most states. However in my state, the "woodie state," it is common to see wood ducks in wads of 40 - 50. So yeah... the ducks you saw were two ducks a little smaller than mallards with a white ring around the eyes, and there were only two: those are hen wood ducks.


wis_bow_hunter,

like deke12ga said, you will not mistake a canvasback. They are one of the biggest ducks, and the only thing that even looks close to a canvasback is a redhead. You might not be able to tell if its a canvasback or a redhead from far away (i can't), but once it gets within a certain distance it will be apparent what kind of duck it is.

As for id-ing all ducks, you're just gonna have to get out and do your homework. I'll tell you some of the basic stuff: Puddle ducks take off straight up out of the water, feed by "dabbling" (tilting the entire body or head forward under water), and usually havea colorful speculum (bright colorful wing patch). Your puddle ducks are usually will be found in flooded/unflooded grain fields, flooded timber, fresh/saltwater marshes, and creeks/streams, and other small water areas.

Diving ducks: Your diving ducks will usually be found on big water, such as lakes, rivers, inlets and bays. Diving ducks take off parallel to the water. Their feet patter along the top of the water like a comorant (except for the bufflehead which can take off like a puddle duck). Their wing beat is noticably faster than puddle ducks. These ducks feed by obviously diving