Mandarin duck

The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a

perching duck species native to the East
Palearctic. It is medium-sized, at 41–
49 cm (16–19 in) long with a 65–75 cm
(26–30 in) wingspan. It is closely related
to the North American wood duck, the only
other member of the genus Aix. Aix is an
Ancient Greek word which was used by
Aristotle to refer to an unknown diving bird,
and galericulata is the Latin for a wig,
derived from galerum, a cap or bonnet.[2]
 Mandarin duck

Male and female mandarin ducks at Martin

Mere, UK

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves

Order: Anseriformes

Family: Anatidae

Genus: Aix

Species: A. galericulata

Binomial name

Aix galericulata
(Linnaeus, 1758)
 The native range of the mandarin duck, and
parts of its introduced range where it is
established breeding

     Breeding
     Native resident
     Migrant
     Winter visitor
     Introduced resident

Synonyms

Anas galericulata Linnaeus, 1758

Description
The adult male has a red bill, large white
crescent above the eye and reddish face
and "whiskers". The male's breast is purple
with two vertical white bars, and the flanks
ruddy, and he has two orange "sails" at the
back (large feathers that stick up like boat
sails). The female is similar to the female
wood duck, with a white eye-ring and
stripe running back from the eye, but is
paler below, has a small white flank stripe,
and a pale tip to its bill.[3]
Both the males and females have crests,
but the purple crest is more pronounced
on the male.

Like many other species of ducks, the

male undergoes a moult after the mating
season into eclipse plumage. When in
eclipse plumage, the male looks similar to
the female, but can be told apart by its
bright yellow-orange or red beak, lack of
any crest, and a less-pronounced eye-
stripe.
Mandarin ducklings are almost identical in
appearance to wood ducklings, and very
similar to mallard ducklings. The ducklings
can be distinguished from mallard
ducklings because the eye-stripe of
mandarin ducklings (and wood ducklings)
stops at the eye, while in mallard ducklings
it reaches all the way to the bill.

Mutations …
Various mutations of the mandarin duck
are found in captivity. The most common
is the white mandarin duck. Although the
origin of this mutation is unknown, the
constant pairing of related birds and
selective breeding is presumed to have led
to recessive gene combinations leading to
genetic conditions including leucism.

Distribution and habitat

The species was once widespread in East
Asia, but large-scale exports and the
destruction of its forest habitat have
reduced populations in eastern Russia and
in China to below 1,000 pairs in each
country; Japan, however, is thought to still
hold some 5,000 pairs. The Asian
populations are migratory, overwintering in
lowland eastern China and southern
Japan.[4]

Specimens frequently escape from

collections, and in the 20th century, a
large, feral population was established in
Great Britain; more recently, small
numbers have bred in Ireland,
concentrated in the parks of Dublin. Now,
about 7,000 are in Britain with other
populations on the European continent, the
largest of which is in the region of Berlin.[5]
Isolated populations exist in the United
States. The town of Black Mountain, North
Carolina, has a limited population,[6] and a
free-flying feral population of several
hundred mandarins exist in Sonoma
County, California. This population is the
result of several ducks escaping from
captivity, then reproducing in the wild.[3] In
2018, a single bird, dubbed Mandarin
Patinkin, was seen in New York City's
Central Park.[7]

The habitats it prefers in its breeding

range are the dense, shrubby forested
edges of rivers and lakes. It mostly occurs
in low-lying areas, but it may breed in
valleys at altitudes of up to 1,500 m
(4,900 ft). In winter, it additionally occurs
in marshes, flooded fields, and open rivers.
While it prefers fresh water, it may also be
seen wintering in coastal lagoons and
estuaries. In its introduced European
range, it lives in more open habitat than in
its native range, around the edges lakes,
water meadows, and cultivated areas with
woods nearby.[4]

Behaviour

Breeding …
A mother with ducklings in Richmond Park, London,
England

In the wild, mandarin ducks breed in

densely wooded areas near shallow lakes,
marshes or ponds. They nest in cavities in
trees close to water and during the spring,
the females lay their eggs in the tree's
cavity after mating. A single clutch of nine
to twelve eggs is laid in April or May.
Although the male may defend the
brooding female and his eggs during
incubation, he himself does not incubate
the eggs and leaves before they hatch.
Shortly after the ducklings hatch, their
mother flies to the ground and coaxes the
ducklings to leap from the nest. After all of
the ducklings are out of the tree, they will
follow their mother to a nearby body of
water.[4]
Food and feeding …

Male flying in Dublin, Ireland

Mandarins feed by dabbling or walking on

land. They mainly eat plants and seeds,
especially beech mast. The species will
also add snails, insects and small fish to
its diet.[8] The diet of mandarin ducks
changes seasonally; in the fall and winter,
they mostly eat acorns and grains. In the
spring, they mostly eat insects, snails, fish
and aquatic plants. In the summer, they
eat dew worms, small fish, frogs, mollusks,
and small snakes.[9] They feed mainly near
dawn or dusk, perching in trees or on the
ground during the day.[4]

Threats
Predation of the mandarin duck varies
between different parts of its range. Mink,
raccoon dogs, otters, polecats, Eurasian
eagle owls, and grass snakes are all
predators of the mandarin duck.[9] The
greatest threat to the mandarin duck is
habitat loss due to loggers. Hunters are
also a threat to the mandarin duck,
because often they are unable to
recognize the mandarin in flight and as a
result, many are shot by accident.
Mandarin ducks are not hunted for food,
but are still poached because their
extreme beauty is prized.[9]
In culture

Chinese culture …

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

The Chinese refer to Mandarin ducks as

yuanyang (simplified Chinese: 鸳鸯;
traditional Chinese: 鴛鴦; pinyin:
yuānyāng), where yuan (鴛) and yang (鴦)
respectively stand for male and female
mandarin ducks. In traditional Chinese
culture, mandarin ducks are believed to be
lifelong couples, unlike other species of
ducks. Hence they are regarded as a
symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity,
and are frequently featured in Chinese art.

A Chinese proverb for loving couples uses

the mandarin duck as a metaphor: "Two
mandarin ducks playing in water"
(simplified Chinese: 鸳鸯戏⽔; traditional
Chinese: 鴛鴦戲水; pinyin: yuānyāng xì
shuǐ). A mandarin duck symbol is also
used in Chinese weddings because in
traditional Chinese lore, they symbolize
wedded bliss and fidelity. Because the
male and female plumages of the
mandarin duck are so unalike, yuan-yang is
frequently used colloquially in Cantonese
to mean an "odd couple" or "unlikely pair" –
a mixture of two different types of same
category. For example, the drink yuanyang
and yuan-yang fried rice. Mandarin ducks
featured on the flag of Weihaiwei during
British rule.
Korean culture …

For Koreans, mandarin ducks represent

peace, fidelity, and plentiful offspring.
Similar to the Chinese, they believe that
these ducks mate for life. For these
reasons, pairs of wooden-carved mandarin
ducks called wedding ducks are often
given as wedding gifts and play a
significant role in Korean marriage.[10]

Japanese culture …
Similarly, in Japanese the ducks are called
oshidori (おしどり/オシドリ/鴛鴦) and are
used in the phrase oshidori fūfu (おしどり
夫婦, "a couple of lovebirds/happily
married couple").

Gallery
Portrait of a male at Martin Mere, England

Mandarin drake
Drake in eclipse plumage

Duckling
Mating couple

Play media

Relaxing male
Egg, Museum Wiesbaden collection

A male in Łazienki Park, Warsaw

Male and female mandarin ducks on
branch
A male mandarin and a female mallard in
Stara Iwiczna, Poland
A pair of incense boxes shaped like
mandarin ducks
 A male mandarin duck in Central Park,
New York

References
1. BirdLife International (2018). "Aix
galericulata" . IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species. IUCN. 2018:
 e.T22680107A131911544. Retrieved
10 January 2020.
2. Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm
Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names .
London: Christopher Helm. pp. 37 ,
169. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
3. Shurtleff, Lawton; Savage, Christopher
(1996). The Wood Duck and the
Mandarin: The Northern Wood Ducks.
University of California Press. ISBN 0-
520-20812-9.
4. Madge, Steve; Burn, Hilary (1987).
Wildfowl: An identification guide to the
ducks, geese and swans of the world.
London: Christopher Helm. pp. 188–
189. ISBN 0-7470-2201-1.
5. Blankennagel, Jens (11 January 2008).
"Kunterbunte Einwanderer" . Berliner
Zeitung (in German). Retrieved
3 February 2012.
. Marcus, Mike (8 February 2012). "Let's
Talk About Birds: Mandarin Ducks" .
 Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Retrieved
8 February 2012.
7. "Rare Mandarin Duck Makes A Splash
In Central Park" . 31 October 2018.
Retrieved 3 November 2018.
. "Mandarin Duck Fact Sheet" . Lincoln
Park Zoo.
9. "Mandarin Duck" . Honolulu Zoo.
Archived from the original on 31 May
2012. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
10. Chira, Susan (5 October 1986). "The
Happy Couple: Korean Wedding
 Ducks" . The New York Times.
Retrieved 30 June 2013.

Further reading
Simko-Bednarski, Evan (2 November
2018). "A rare Mandarin duck is hanging
out in NYC's Central Park and nobody
knows how it got there" . CNN. Retrieved
2 November 2018.

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media
related to:
Aix galericulata (category)

Wikispecies has information related to

Aix galericulata

RSPB Birds by Name — Mandarin Duck

Mandarin Duck Research Pages -
Birkbeck, University of London
Mandarin Duck Research
 "Mandarin duck media" . Internet Bird
Collection.

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