Mandarin duck
The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a duck that breeds in eastern Siberia, China and Japan and winters in southern China and Japan. There is a small free-flying population in Britain which grew from the release of captive bred ducks.
| Mandarin Duck | |
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| A pair of ducks in Switzerland | |
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| Aix galericulata (Linnaeus, 1758)
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Description
In full plumage, the male mandarin duck has a pair of "sail" feathers that are raised vertically above the back, a crest of orange and cream feathers, and a broad white eye-stripe that is bounded above and below by darker feathers. The female mandarin duck is duller in colour and has an overall grey appearance that is marked by a curving white stripe behind the eye and a series of white blotches on the underparts. In flight, both sexes display a bluish-green iridescent speculum.
Habitat
The mandarin duck lives in the forests of China and Japan. They prefer to live around wooded ponds and fast flowing rocky streams to swim, wade, and feed in.
Mandarin Duck Media
Mandarin duck drake in eclipse plumage in Royal Lazienki Park
A mother with ducklings in Richmond Park, London, England
Male flying in Dublin, Ireland
A Yuan dynasty porcelain teapot representing a mandarin duck pair
Porcelain winepot in the form of a mandarin duck, decorated in overglaze enamels, Qing dynasty, circa 1760
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