Mandarin ducks belong to the class - birds, the order - anseriformes, the family - ducks, the genus - forest ducks, the species - mandarins.
Mandarin ducks live in China, Japan and Eastern Siberia. For wintering they go to the southern regions of these regions. They are also found in the UK due to the fact that they were imported. They prefer to live near water bodies.
Mandarin ducks are colored by gender. Males are bright, in their coloring there are almost all the colors of the rainbow, with a predominance of orange-brown tones. The plumage of the female is more modest, in grayish tones. Surprisingly, when flying, both males and females acquire blue-green tones of color. The drake has a long, multi-colored crest on its head. Their wings are golden yellow, fan-shaped, the beak is small, coral red. The contrast of the female and male is clearly visible in the photo.
Mandarin ducks are distinguished by their agile and fast flight. They easily, almost vertically, rise into the air both from the ground and from the water. Mandarin ducks, unlike other ducks, do not quack, but whistle and squeak. They are silent, but during the breeding seasonmelodious sounds continuously.
Mandarin ducks eat both animal and vegetable food. In particular, algae, rice, cereals, plant seeds, fish, beetles, snails. A special delicacy for them is acorns and frogs. In early autumn, mandarin ducks gather in flocks and raid the sown fields to feed.
By the breeding season, at the beginning of winter, tangerines form pairs. When forming pairs, fights are not complete, since several males sometimes take care of one female. The fights of males for a female are more like competitions. A couple is formed for life, so tangerines are considered a symbol of fidelity and marriage.
When a pair is formed, the mandarin duck starts looking for a nest site. They prefer to nest in hollows of trees at a height of 10 meters. The female lays eggs, usually 9-12. Eggs are white and oval. The duck hatches eggs for about 30 days. Once the hatching process is complete, the mother duck calls the chicks to the ground. Chicks crawl out of the nest, which is in the hole of the tree
at a decent height, and fall to the ground. Surprisingly, the chicks do not cripple. Jumping out of the nest, the chicks spread their wings and stretch the membranes between the toes. Chicks under maternal supervision get to the reservoir, where there is food and shelter. Ducklings are very voracious, they collect worms, bugs, algae, seeds, crustaceans, etc. with their beaks. In case of danger, they are able to dive for a while.hide under water. After 40-45 days, the chicks are able to fly. Chicks fly away from their parents and join other birds.
Tangerines, like all ducks, molt twice a year. Males in June become almost the same color as females. During the molting period, drakes gather in flocks, preferring to stay in the willow thickets. Closer to winter, tangerines fly away for the winter. Some males dress up in breeding attire even before departure.
Mandarin ducks are a rare species of duck whose numbers have been affected by deforestation. Now their number is estimated at about 20,000. The decisive factor that allowed this species to survive was their meat, unsuitable for human consumption.
Due to the small number, mandarin ducks were listed in the Red Book, hunting for them was forbidden.
