Mandarin duck: what it looks like and where it lives, what it eats and how old it lives

Mandarin ducks are considered one of the most attractive and colorful representatives of the fauna. These birds have a very interesting and rich coloring of feathers, which attracts a lot of attention. In China, this duck is considered a symbol of the family. It is often possible to meet her in pictures in wedding salons. Also, this bird is often given as a gift on the wedding day.

What does a mandarin duck look like

Mandarin duck has multi-colored plumage. And this is more typical for males. Their head and neck are decorated with whiskers and long feathers. One of the feathers on the wing resembles a fan in shape.When the bird swims, the orange fans protrude upward and resemble saddles.

Lower torso is predominantly white. The goiter has a purple tint, and the top of the tail is dark in color. Saturated shades dominate on the back, neck and head. The plumage has green, red, orange colors. There is also a blue tint.

In this case, the colors almost do not intertwine, but have pronounced areas. The bird has a bright red beak. It also has orange paws. They have dark membranes on them.

Females have more modest plumage compared to males. Their color helps to camouflage against the background of natural colors. The back has a brown tint, the head is gray, and the bottom is white. Color transitions are smooth. The head is also decorated with a small crest. The beak has a dark olive tint. In this case, the paws are light orange, gray or dirty yellow.

Ducks have a small weight, which is 400-700 grams. The difference in weight between the two sexes is almost invisible. Light weight allows birds to fly quickly. From the water or the surface of the earth, they are able to take off almost vertically.

Another obvious difference is the sounds that males make in the spring during breeding. They do not quack, but whistle or squeak. A rare representative of this species is the white mandarin duck. It has completely white plumage. At the same time, males have a cream shade in color. Relationship with a typical mandarin can be established by a specific saddle on the back, which is formed by 2 large wing feathers.

Where does it live and what does it eat?

More than 50% of all individuals live in Russia. Bright birds are found on Sakhalin. Also tangerines live in the Amur region and Khabarovsk. With the advent of autumn, birds fly away from Russia, because the winters are too cold for them. Wintering of ducks takes place in warm countries, in which the temperature is at least +5 degrees. Ducks are capable of flying over very impressive distances. Often they fly to China or Japan for the winter.When the snow melts, the birds return home.

Today, the area of distribution of birds has become larger - now mandarin ducks live in the USA, Ireland, Great Britain.

These ducks mainly eat aquatic plants. They also eat worms, snails, molluscs, small frogs. A distinctive feature of birds is their addiction to acorns, which they pluck directly from trees. Thanks to this, the duck replenishes its body with vitamins and minerals.

Besides this, birds can eat vegetable seeds and cereals. To find treats, they often fly to fields where winter crops grow. Tangerines often eat rice and buckwheat. Houses of beautiful ducks can be fed with barley, corn, oatmeal. Also, birds are happy to eat and bran.In addition, they have a need for animal protein. Minced fish or meat should be used as its sources.

Character and lifestyle

Mandarin duck is considered a very mobile creature. She flies and swims beautifully. Sharp claws allow birds to sit on tree branches. Birds of this breed prefer to live in quiet places where there are no people. These areas are usually covered by branches or trees. They create nests in hollows that are at high altitude. Ducks use their own down as a source of heat. This behavior is inherent in ducks of this species.

Social structure and reproduction

These birds are monogamous. They choose a single partner and are able to remain faithful to him all their lives. On the water and in the sky, birds keep in pairs. They show amazing care for each other. Males help females during the period of incubation of eggs, getting food for them.

When choosing a female, the drake describes circles on the water and puffs up her crest. Most often, several males fight for the attention of a duck at the same time. Then she chooses the best. Mandarin duck makes its nests in hollows. After that, 7-14 small eggs incubate for almost a month. Newborn ducklings are highly active. Almost from birth, they learn to dive and swim. In the process, they get their own food - small insects and plant seeds. After 6 weeks, the ducklings can already fly.

What are the natural enemies of birds

The enemies of tangerines are squirrels that are able to climb into nests on trees. Also dangerous for ducks are otters and raccoon dogs. They often eat eggs and attack nestlings. They also pose a threat to adults.

Ducks are small in size, therefore it is dangerous for them to meet predatory animals that surpass them.

Hunters play a special role in the destruction of tangerines. Poachers are attracted by the color of males. Their carcasses are often stuffed into stuffed animals. However, there are often situations when hunters confuse the drake with other varieties of birds. This is often seen during the molting season.

Population and status of mandarin ducks

Earlier, ducks were found in the eastern regions of Asia. However, as a result of the destructive activities of people and deforestation, the habitats of ducks have significantly decreased. They disappeared from the areas where they used to meet. Back in 1988, the mandarin was included in the Red Book. This bird species has been listed as an endangered species. In 1994, the status changed to "low risk". Since 2004, the extinction of birds has a minimal threat.

Despite the trends to reduce the number and reduce the area of natural habitat, the number of ducks is not approaching critical parameters. Their population is not declining too quickly. For 10 years, the rate of decline is less than 30%. Therefore, scientists do not express concern for this species.

View protection

You can't hunt these ducks in Russia. Birds remain under state protection. More than 30,000 ducks have been recorded in the Far East and Primorye. There are a number of protected areas in which birds can freely settle on the banks of water bodies.

A large number of ducks live in Japan, China, Korea. Wintering birds are also found in these regions. In addition, today tangerines are often artificially bred. Thanks to this, birds appeared in Spain, Austria, England, Germany and other countries of the world.

The mandarin duck is distinguished by its bright plumage and attracts attention from afar. These birds are considered a real decoration of natural areas. To protect birds from extinction, they were listed in the international Red Book.

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