This is my Mandarin Duck fact sheet!

12 Jan

This is my Mandarin Duck fact sheet!

Posted January 12, 2012 by Daniel Silver in Animal facts. 2 Comments

ANIMAL:

Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata

Type of Animal:

Duck

Habitat:

Woodlands near wetlands, river valleys, forest lakes, marshland, ponds

Location(s):

China, S.E. Russia, Siberia, Japan, Taiwan & Korea. Feral populations in UK, Ireland & other parts of Europe plus in N. Carolina & California.

Appearance:

Male has red bill, white crescent above eye & reddish face and is very colorful during breeding season. Male goes into eclipse plumage w/ slight hint of blue on wingtip out of breeding season. Female much more drab & usually brownish-gray w/ pale tip on bill.

Food/Diet:

Seeds, acorns, grains, aquatic plants, insects, snails, fish, worms, mollusks, frogs, small snakes, grasses, veggies, fruit, stems, roots, nuts, crabs, refuse

Status in Wild:

Stable

Conservation:

Breeding in zoos & aviculture

Lifestyle:

Outside of breeding/nesting season, often seen in flocks of up to 60 birds. During breeding/nesting season, they break off into monogamous pairs.

Additional Info:

	Males:	Females:	Young:	Group:
Called:	Drake	Hen	Duckling	Flock
Weight:	1.5-2 lbs	1-1.5 lbs		Gestation: Life Span:	30 days
Height:	1 ft	Same
Body Length:	1.3-1.5 ft	Same			3 years in wild, up to 20 years in captivity
Tail Length:	0.33-0.34 ft	Same

Main predators are tigers, bears, wolves, foxes, leopards, snow leopards, raccoon dogs, mink, otters, polecats, birds of prey, corvids, domestic cats, domestic dogs, wild felines, dholes, snakes, alligators & large predatory fish. Herons prey on ducklings.

Possibly declining in native habitat due to habitat loss, bird trade & hunting for feathers.

Sexually mature at a year old.

They often nest in tree holes.

Kept worldwide as an ornamental bird.

Fun Fact(s):

They’re not hunted for meat since their meat is not known to taste good.

These ducks can be flighty but they’re also very friendly.

Due to habit of mating for life (they only take new mate if 1 dies), they’re featured in Chinese/Japanese art as symbol of marital fidelity. Its symbolism also used in Chinese/Japanese weddings.

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2 responses to this post.

Posted by Brooke on February 11, 2012 at 2:21 am

They are very colorful… What colors are they mainly?

Reply
- Posted by Daniel Silver on February 11, 2012 at 2:27 pm
  
  Males have a reddish head feathers w/ multitudes of colors on back feathers, such as brown, black, orange, red etc. during the breeding season. Males go into eclipse plumage outside of breeding season, in which they are beige-gray like the females. However, there is a bit of green on eclipse plumage males.
  
  Reply