Mandarin duck

Aix galericulata

Mandarin duck

A variegated coloured species

These ducks are mainly kept as ornamentals in Slovakia, as the males are very brightly colored, especially during the breeding season. In Malkia Park, you can spot this species with a careful eye on our lake, where these ducks are allowed to move more or less freely throughout the territory.

This species has a very pronounced sexual dimorphism. The male Mandarin duck has the most elaborate and ornate plumage with distinctive long orange feathers on the side of the face, orange “mirrors” on the back during breeding season, and light orange sides. The female is very dull in comparison. It has a grey head, a white stripe behind the eye, a brown back, and spotted sides. It looks quite similar to a female wood duck.

Mandarin duck

Aix galericulata

Mandarin duck

A variegated coloured species

Date of hatching

Unknown

Order

Anatidae

Family

Anseriformes

BODY LENGTH

43-46 cm

Weight

630 g male
510 g female

LIFE EXPECTANCY

10-20 years

WINGSSPAN

70 cm

INCUBATION PERIOD

29-30 days

NUMBER OF EGGS

9-12 white eggs

CARE OF THE YOUNG

40-45 days

Occurrence

eastern Asia

Food

seeds, nuts, aquatic plants, occasionally molluscs

These ducks are mainly kept as ornamentals in Slovakia, as the males are very brightly colored, especially during the breeding season. In Malkia Park, you can spot this species with a careful eye on our lake, where these ducks are allowed to move more or less freely throughout the territory.

This species has a very pronounced sexual dimorphism. The male Mandarin duck has the most elaborate and ornate plumage with distinctive long orange feathers on the side of the face, orange “mirrors” on the back during breeding season, and light orange sides. The female is very dull in comparison. It has a grey head, a white stripe behind the eye, a brown back, and spotted sides. It looks quite similar to a female wood duck.