Perching ducks
Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulata
The wood duck's ornate East Asian cousin, famous for the drake's orange sails.
- Length
- 41–49 cm
- Wingspan
- 65–75 cm
- Weight
- 430–700 g
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
About this duck
Mandarins come from East Asia, where they nest in tree holes beside forested rivers and lakes. Birds that escaped from collections have also founded wild populations in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, where thousands now breed. Like wood ducks, they perch easily in trees and often rest on low branches over the water.
How to spot one
Drakes are unmistakable: a red bill, a broad white stripe above the eye, orange whisker plumes and a pair of upright orange sails on the back. Females are soft gray-brown with a white eye-ring and a thin white line trailing back from the eye.