View source for Mandarin duck

{{Short description|Species of bird}}
{{pp-pc}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Speciesbox
| fossil_range = {{fossilrange|0.8|0|[[Pleistocene]]–[[Holocene|present]], 0.8 – 0 Mya |}}
| name                   = Mandarin duck
| status                 = LC
| status_system          = IUCN3.1
| status_ref             = <ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021">{{cite iucn |author=BirdLife International |date=2018 |title=''Aix galericulata'' |volume=2018 |article-number=e.T22680107A131911544 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22680107A131911544.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
| image                  = Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata).jpg
| image_caption          = Male mandarin duck in [[Franconville, Val-d'Oise|Franconville]], France
| image2                 = Mandarin ducks by the Weiming Lake of Peking University 09.jpg
| image2_caption         = Female mandarin duck at Weiming Lake, Beijing
| genus                  = Aix
| species                = galericulata
| authority              = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| synonyms               = ''Anas galericulata'' {{small|Linnaeus,&nbsp;1758}}
| range_map              = Aix galericulata dis.PNG
| range_map_caption      = The native range of the mandarin duck, and parts of its introduced range where it is established breeding
{{leftlegend|#FFFF00|Breeding|border=solid 1px grey}}
{{leftlegend|#047000|Native resident|border=solid 1px grey}}
{{leftlegend|#6CFFFF|Migrant|border=solid 1px grey}}
{{leftlegend|#0061FF|Winter visitor|border=solid 1px grey}}
{{leftlegend|#0DFF00|Introduced resident|border=solid 1px grey}}
}}

The '''mandarin duck''' ('''''Aix galericulata''''') is a [[perching duck]] species native to the East [[Palearctic]]. It is [[Sexual dimorphism|sexually dimorphic]]; the males are elaborately coloured, while the females have more subdued colours.<ref name=kk/> It is a medium-sized duck, at {{convert|41|–|49|cm|in|abbr=on}} long with a {{convert|65|–|75|cm|in|abbr=on}} wingspan. It is closely related to the North American [[wood duck]], the only other member of the genus ''[[Aix (bird)|Aix]]''. {{transliteration|grc|'Aix'}} is an [[Ancient Greek]] word which was used by [[Aristotle]] to refer to an unknown diving bird, and {{lang|la|'galericulata'}} is the [[Latin]] for a wig, derived from {{lang|la|galerum}}, a cap or bonnet. Outside of its native range, the mandarin duck has a large introduced population in the [[British Isles]] and [[Western Europe]], with additional smaller introductions in [[North America]].

==Taxonomy==
The mandarin duck was described and illustrated in 1727 by the German explorer [[Engelbert Kaempfer]] in his ''The History of Japan''. He wrote: "Of Ducks also there are several differing kinds, and as tame as the Geese. One kind particularly I cannot forbear mentioning, because of the surprizing beauty of its male, call'd ''Kinmodsui'', which is so great, that being shew'd its picture in colours, I could hardly believe my own Eyes, till I saw the Bird it self, it being a very common one."<ref>{{ cite book | last1=Kaempfer | first1=Engelbert | author-link=Engelbert Kaempfer | translator-last=Scheuchzer | translator-first=John Gaspar | translator-link=Johann Caspar Scheuchzer | date=1727 | title=The History of Japan | location=London | publisher=Printed for the translator | page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofjapangi01kaem/page/129/mode/1up 129 ], [https://archive.org/details/historyofjapangi01kaem/page/n500/mode/1up Plate 10, Fig 3] }}</ref> In 1747 the English naturalist [[George Edwards (naturalist)|George Edwards]] included an illustration and a description of the species in the second volume of his ''A Natural History of Uncommon Birds''. He used the English name "The Chinese teal". He based his hand-coloured etching on a live specimen kept by the merchant [[Matthew Decker]] on his estate at Richmond in Surrey. Decker was a director of the [[East India Company]].<ref>{{ cite book | last=Edwards | first=George | author-link=George Edwards (naturalist) | year=1747 | title=A Natural History of Uncommon Birds | location=London | publisher=Printed for the author at the College of Physicians | volume=2 | page=102, Plate 102 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/50240856 }}</ref> When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist [[Carl Linnaeus]] updated his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'' for the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]], he placed the mandarin duck with the ducks and geese in the [[genus]] ''[[Anas]]''. Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the [[binomial name]] ''Anas galericulata'' and cited the earlier publications.<ref>{{cite book | last=Linnaeus | first=Carl | author-link=Carl Linnaeus | year=1758 | title= Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis | volume=1 | edition=10th | page=128 | publisher=Laurentii Salvii | place=Holmiae (Stockholm) | language=la | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727033 }}</ref><ref>{{ cite book | editor1-last=Mayr | editor1-first=Ernst | editor1-link=Ernst Mayr | editor2-last=Cottrell | editor2-first=G. William | year=1979 | title=Check-List of Birds of the World | volume=1 | edition=2nd | publisher=Museum of Comparative Zoology | place=Cambridge, Massachusetts | page=457 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/16109097 }}</ref>  The mandarin duck is now placed together with the [[wood duck]] in the genus ''[[Aix (bird)|Aix]]'' that was introduced in 1828 by the German ornithologist [[Friedrich Boie]]. The species is [[monotypic]]: no [[subspecies]] are recognised.<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela C. Rasmussen | date=December 2023 | title=Screamers, ducks, geese & swans | work=IOC World Bird List Version 14.1 | url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/waterfowl/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=28 June 2024 }}</ref> The genus name is the [[Ancient Greek]] word for an unknown diving bird mentioned by [[Aristotle]]. The specific epithet is from [[Latin]] ''galericulatum'' meaning a "peruke" or "wig".<ref>{{cite book | last=Jobling | first=James A. | year=2010| title=The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names | publisher=Christopher Helm | location=London | isbn=978-1-4081-2501-4 | pages=[https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n37/mode/1up 37], [https://archive.org/stream/Helm_Dictionary_of_Scientific_Bird_Names_by_James_A._Jobling#page/n169/mode/1up 169]}}</ref>

===Genetics===
Mandarin duck unusually has 84 [[chromosome]]s, all [[Centromere#Acrocentric|acrocentric]], compared to 80, often [[Centromere#Submetacentric|submetacentric]], for other ducks; this makes successful [[hybrid (biology)|hybridisation]] with other ducks very difficult, and possibly impossible, though this is disputed.<ref name="Ottenburghs">{{cite web | last=Ottenburghs | first=Jente | title=Can Mandarin Ducks hybridize with other duck species? | website=Avian Hybrids | date=2019-07-04 | url=https://avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2019/07/04/can-mandarin-ducks-hybridize-with-other-duck-species/ | access-date=2025-09-30}}</ref> Hybrids have been reported with six other duck species, but none of these have yet been verified.<ref name="Ottenburghs"/>

==Description==
The mandarin duck is among the smaller species of waterfowl, with a shorter body and smaller overall body size than most [[dabbling ducks]], and is slightly smaller than its American wood duck relative. The adult male has a small red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and "whiskers". The male's breast is purple with two vertical white bars, the flanks ruddy, and has two orange 'sail' feathers at the back (large feathers that stick up similar to boat sails). The female is similar to the female wood duck, with greyish-brown plumage, and a slender white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye. The female is paler on the underside, has a small white flank stripe, and a pale tip to its bill.<ref name=Aix/>

[[file:Mandarinducksum.JPG|thumb|Drake in full eclipse plumage]]
Both the males and females have [[Crest (feathers)|crest]]s, but the purple crest is more pronounced on the male.Like many other species of ducks, the male undergoes a [[moult]] after the mating season into [[Plumage#Eclipse plumage|eclipse plumage]]. When in eclipse plumage, the male looks similar to the female, but can be distinguished by its bright yellow-orange or red beak, lack of any crest, and a less pronounced eye-stripe.

Mandarin duck ducklings are almost identical in appearance to wood duck ducklings, and very similar to [[mallard]] ducklings. The ducklings can be distinguished from mallard ducklings because the eye-stripe of mandarin duck ducklings (and wood duck ducklings) stops at the eye, while in mallard ducklings it reaches all the way to the bill.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

==Distribution and habitat==
The [[species]] was once widespread in East Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest [[habitat (ecology)|habitat]] have reduced populations in eastern Russia and in China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs. The Asian populations are [[bird migration|migratory]], overwintering in lowland eastern China and southern Japan.<ref name=Madge/>{{Update inline|date=November 2024}}

A [[fossil]] [[coracoid]] from the [[Middle Pleistocene]] of [[West Runton]], England, was originally referred to this species and was thought to indicate a formerly much more extensive distribution.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harrison |first1=C. J. O. |title=Birds of the Cromer Forest Bed series of the East Anglian Pleistocene |journal=Transactions of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society |date=1979 |volume=25 |issue=1|pages=277–286}}</ref>  However this has now been reinterpreted as an indeterminate member of [[Anatinae]].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Stewart, J.R.|year=2010|title=The bird remains from the West Runton Freshwater Bed Norfolk, England|journal=Quaternary International|volume=228|issue=1–2 |pages= 72–90 |doi=10.1016/j.quaint.2010.07.025 |bibcode=2010QuInt.228...72S |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1040618210002958#tblfn2|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Specimens frequently escape from collections, and in the 20th century, a large, feral population was established in [[Great Britain]]; more recently, small numbers have bred in Ireland, concentrated in the parks of [[Dublin]]. Now, about 7,000 are in Britain.<ref name="HBW">{{cite book | title=Handbook of the birds of the world: orders Struthioniformes, Tinamiformes, Sphenisciformes, Gaviiformes, Podicipediformes, Procellariiformes, Pelecaniformes, Ciconiiformes, Phoenicopteriformes and Anseriformes | publisher=Lynx edicions | publication-place=Barcelona | date=1992 | isbn=84-87334-10-5 | page=598}}</ref> Owing to its different habitat preferences compared to native water birds, the mandarin duck appears to have had no negative impacts on native [[Anatidae|wildfowl]] as a result of its introduction to the UK, as it does not engage in [[Competition (biology)|competition]] with other ducks over their habitats<ref>{{Cite web |title=21 Facts on Mandarin Duck from Living with Birds |url=https://www.livingwithbirds.com/tweetapedia/21-facts-on-mandarin-duck |access-date=1 July 2024 |website=www.livingwithbirds.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Mandarin duck |url=https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/things-to-do/canal-and-river-wildlife/a-spotters-guide-to-waterway-wildlife/duck/mandarin |access-date=2025-06-13 |website=canalrivertrust.org.uk |language=en}}</ref> and occupies a previously-vacant [[ecological niche]]; it is generally not considered to be [[Invasive species|invasive]]. However, its expanding range means that it may compete with [[common goldeneye]] (''Bucephala clangula''), which also nests in trees.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Munday |first1=Camille |last2=Rose |first2=Paul |date=2022-09-24 |title=Environmental and Social Influences on the Behaviour of Free-Living Mandarin Ducks in Richmond Park |journal=Animals |volume=12 |issue=19 |page=2554 |doi=10.3390/ani12192554 |doi-access=free |issn=2076-2615 |pmc=9559490 |pmid=36230295}}</ref>

Additional populations of mandarin ducks can be found on the European continent, the largest of which is in the region of [[Berlin]].<ref name="berliner-zeitung" /> Isolated populations exist in the United States. The town of [[Black Mountain, North Carolina]], has a limited population,<ref name="post-gazette" /> and a free-flying feral population of several hundred mandarins exist in [[Sonoma County, California]].{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} This population is the result of several ducks escaping from captivity, then reproducing in the wild.<ref name="Aix" />

The habitats it prefers in its breeding range are the dense, shrubby forested edges of rivers and lakes. It mostly occurs in low-lying areas, but it may breed in valleys at altitudes of up to {{convert|1500|m|ft|abbr=on}}. In winter, it additionally occurs in marshes, flooded fields, and open rivers. While it prefers fresh water, it may also be seen wintering in coastal lagoons and estuaries. In its introduced European range, it lives in more open habitat than in its native range, around the edges of lakes, water meadows, and cultivated areas with woods nearby.<ref name=Madge/>

==Behaviour==
Compared to other ducks, mandarin ducks are shy birds, preferring to seek cover under trees such as overhanging [[willow]]s, and form smaller flocks,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mandarin duck {{!}} The Wildlife Trusts|url=https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/wildlife-explorer/birds/waterfowl/mandarin-duck|access-date=14 January 2021|website=www.wildlifetrusts.org}}</ref> but when accustomed to humans may exhibit bolder behaviour.
===Breeding===
[[File:Mandarin duck chicks by the Red Lake of Peking University 16.jpg|thumb|right|A mother with ducklings in [[Beijing]], China]]
In the wild, mandarin ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or ponds. They nest in cavities in trees close to water during the spring. A single clutch of nine to twelve eggs is laid in April or May. Although the male may defend the brooding female and his eggs during incubation, he himself does not incubate the eggs and leaves before they hatch. Shortly after the ducklings hatch, their mother flies to the ground and coaxes the ducklings to leap from the nest. After all of the ducklings are out of the tree, they will follow their mother to a nearby body of water.<ref name=Madge/>

===Food and feeding===
[[File:Aix galericulata -Bushy Park, Terenure, Dublin, Ireland -male-8 (1).jpg|thumb|right|Male flying in [[Dublin]], Ireland]]
Mandarins feed by dabbling or walking on land. They mainly eat plants and [[seeds]], especially [[beech]] mast and [[acorn]]s.<ref name="HBW"/> The species will also add snails, insects and small fish to its diet.<ref name=LPZMandarinDuck/> The diet of mandarin ducks changes seasonally; in the fall and winter, they mostly eat acorns and grain. In the spring, they mostly eat insects, snails, fish and aquatic plants. In the summer, they eat<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Andersson |first=Malte |date=December 2001 |title=Relatedness and the Evolution of Conspecific Brood Parasitism |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/324113 |journal=The American Naturalist |language=en |volume=158 |issue=6 |pages=599–614 |doi=10.1086/324113 |pmid=18707354 |bibcode=2001ANat..158..599A |issn=0003-0147|url-access=subscription }}</ref> small worms, small fish, frogs, mollusks, and small snakes.<ref name=HonoluluZoo/> They feed mainly near dawn or dusk, perching in trees or on the ground during the day.<ref name=Madge/>
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===Conspecific brood parasitism===
Like many other bird species, Mandarin ducks display [[Biological specificity|conspecific]] [[brood parasitism]].<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Deng |first1=Qiu-Xiang |last2=Wang |first2=Hai-Tao |last3=Yao |first3=Di |last4=Wang |first4=Xing-Yang |last5=E |first5=Ming-Ju |last6=Wang |first6=Tuo |last7=Gao |first7=Wei |date=2011 |title=Conspecific brood parasitism and nesting biology of mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata) in Northeastern China. |journal=The Wilson Journal of Ornithology |volume=123 |issue=3 |pages=479–485 |doi=10.1676/10-144.1}}</ref> Typically, Mandarin ducks lay their eggs in nests of their own relatives<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Andersson |first=Malte |date=2001 |title=Relatedness and the Evolution of Conspecific Brood Parasitism |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/324113 |journal=The American Naturalist |language=en |volume=158 |issue=6 |pages=599–614 |doi=10.1086/324113 |pmid=18707354 |bibcode=2001ANat..158..599A |issn=0003-0147|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Citation |last=Andersson |first=Malte |title=Brood Parasitism within Species |date=1984 |work=Producers and Scroungers |pages=195–228 |place=Boston, MA |publisher=Springer US |doi=10.1007/978-1-4615-9784-1_8 |doi-broken-date=1 July 2025 |isbn=978-1-4615-9786-5}}</ref> or other bird species.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gong |first1=Ye |last2=Bibi |first2=Nehafta |last3=Wang |first3=Haitao |date=2018 |title=Nest Usurpation between Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata and Coexisting Bird Species in Nest Boxes in a Secondary Forest, Zuojia Nature Reserve, China |journal=Pakistan Journal of Zoology |volume=50 |issue=4 |doi=10.17582/journal.pjz/2018.50.4.sc2 |issn=0030-9923|doi-access=free }}</ref> In the Zuojia Nature Reserve in [[Northeast China]], 46.1% of Mandarin ducks were found to practice conspecific brood parasitism.<ref name=":0" /> Female ducks lay their eggs in different nests for a wide variety of reasons. For example, when there are nest limitations or there are little resources available, female ducks are more likely to practice conspecific brood parasitism.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=de Valpine |first1=Perry |last2=Eadie |first2=John M. |date=2008 |title=Conspecific Brood Parasitism and Population Dynamics |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/590956 |journal=The American Naturalist |language=en |volume=172 |issue=4 |pages=547–562 |doi=10.1086/590956 |pmid=18793094 |bibcode=2008ANat..172..547D |issn=0003-0147|url-access=subscription }}</ref> When females practice this behavior, they can benefit from a decrease in the costs from parental care and incubation.<ref name="auto"/> Additionally, female parasitic ducks can reduce their risks from [[predation]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pöysä |first1=Hannu |last2=Pesonen |first2=Mauri |date=2007 |title=Nest Predation and the Evolution of Conspecific Brood Parasitism: From Risk Spreading to Risk Assessment |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/509943 |journal=The American Naturalist |language=en |volume=169 |issue=1 |pages=94–104 |doi=10.1086/509943 |pmid=17206588 |bibcode=2007ANat..169...94P |issn=0003-0147|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Roy Nielsen |first1=Charlotte L. |last2=Parker |first2=Patricia G. |last3=Gates |first3=Robert J. |date=2008 |title=Partial Clutch Predation, Dilution of Predation Risk, and the Evolution of Intraspecific Nest Parasitism |journal=The Auk |volume=125 |issue=3 |pages=679–686 |doi=10.1525/auk.2008.07114 |issn=0004-8038}}</ref>

While there was speculation that larger clutch sizes can lead to an increase in resource competition, research has found that the number of parasite eggs had no negative influence on the success of eggs from the [[Host (biology)|host]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lumsden |first=Harry G. |date=1985 |title=Is Nest Parasitism Always Deleterious to Goldeneyes? |url=https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/284458 |journal=The American Naturalist |language=en |volume=126 |issue=6 |pages=859–866 |doi=10.1086/284458 |bibcode=1985ANat..126..859L |issn=0003-0147|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Over generations, conspecific brood parasitism can increase the net number of offsprings found within each generation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McRae |first=Susan B. |date=1996 |title=Brood Parasitism in the Moorhen: Brief Encounters between Parasites and Hosts and the Significance of an Evening Laying Hour |journal=Journal of Avian Biology |volume=27 |issue=4 |pages=311–320 |doi=10.2307/3677262|jstor=3677262 }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Åhlund |first1=Matti |last2=Andersson |first2=Malte |date=2001 |title=Female ducks can double their reproduction |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/414600b |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=414 |issue=6864 |pages=600–601 |doi=10.1038/414600b |pmid=11740548 |issn=0028-0836|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Overall, other duck species that have utilised this behaviour to lay their eggs were able to increase their reproductive success by more than double.<ref name=":1" />

==Threats==
Predation of the mandarin duck varies between different parts of its range. [[Mink]], [[raccoon dog]]s, [[otter]]s, [[polecat]]s, [[Eurasian eagle-owl]]s, and [[grass snake]]s are all predators of the mandarin duck.<ref name=HonoluluZoo/> The greatest threat to the mandarin duck is habitat loss due to logging. Hunters are also a threat to the mandarin duck, because often they are unable to identify mandarin ducks in flight and as a result, many are shot by accident. Mandarin ducks are not hunted for food, but are still poached because their extreme beauty is prized.<ref name=HonoluluZoo/>
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==In captivity==
[[File:Ouwehands Dierenpark - Aix galericulata (4337587308) (2).jpg|thumb|White Male at [[Ouwehands Dierenpark]], Netherlands]]
Because of its striking plumage, mandarin ducks are very popular in zoos and waterfowl collections. Various mutations and domesticated [[breed]]s have been selected in captivity by duck breeders, the most common of which are pale ('silver') and white birds.<ref>{{cite web | title=Colour Mutations waterfowl mutations | website=www.norfolkwildfowl.co.uk | url=http://www.norfolkwildfowl.co.uk/?p=colour.mutations | access-date=2025-09-30}}</ref>

==In culture==

===Chinese culture===
[[File:Porcelaine Yuan.jpg|thumb|left|A [[Yuan dynasty]] porcelain teapot representing a mandarin duck pair]]
[[File:Kinesisk kanna från 1760 cirka i form av anka med handtag som lotusblomma - Hallwylska museet - 95447.tif|thumb|Porcelain winepot in the form of a mandarin duck, decorated in overglaze enamels, [[Qing dynasty]], circa 1760]]
The Chinese refer to mandarin ducks as {{transliteration|zh|yuanyang}} ({{zh|s=鸳鸯|t=鴛鴦|p=yuānyāng}}), where {{transliteration|zh|'yuan'}} ({{lang|zh|[[wiktionary:鴛|鴛]]}}) and {{transliteration|zh|'yang'}} ({{lang|zh|[[wiktionary:鴦|鴦]]}}) respectively stand for male and female mandarin ducks. In traditional Chinese culture, mandarin ducks are believed to be lifelong couples, unlike other species of ducks. Hence they are regarded as a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity, and are frequently featured in Chinese art.

A [[Chinese proverb]] for loving couples uses the mandarin duck as a metaphor: "Two mandarin ducks playing in water" ({{zh|s=鸳鸯戏水|t=鴛鴦戲水|p=yuānyāng xì shuǐ|links=no}}). A mandarin duck symbol is also used in Chinese weddings because in traditional Chinese lore, they symbolize wedded bliss and fidelity. Because the male and female plumages of the mandarin duck are so unalike, {{transliteration|zh|'yuan-yang'}} is frequently used colloquially in [[Cantonese]] to mean an "odd couple" or "unlikely pair" – a mixture of two different types of the same category; for example, the drink {{transliteration|zh|[[yuanyang (drink)|yuanyang]]}} and {{transliteration|zh|yuan-yang}} fried rice. Mandarin ducks featured on the [[flag of Weihaiwei]] during British rule.

===Korean culture===
{{See also|Wedding ducks}}
For [[Koreans]], mandarin ducks represent peace, fidelity, and plentiful offspring. Similar to the Chinese, they believe that these ducks mate for life. For these reasons, pairs of wooden-carved mandarin ducks called wedding ducks are often given as wedding gifts and play a significant role in [[Marriage in South Korea|Korean marriage]].<ref name=nytimes/>

===Japanese culture===
Similarly, in [[Japanese language|Japanese]] the ducks are called {{Nihongo||おしどり/オシドリ/鴛鴦|oshidori}} and are used in the phrase {{Nihongo3|"a couple of lovebirds/happily married couple"|おしどり夫婦|oshidori fūfu}}. In addition, the Crown Prince wears the [[Sokutai]] decorated with a pattern featuring ''oshidori''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.iz2.or.jp/fukushoku/f_disp.php?page_no=0000169 | title=皇太子黄丹袍姿 | publisher=Costume Museum | language=ja | access-date=12 August 2023 }}</ref>
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==Gallery==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Aix galericulata male portrait.jpg|Portrait of a male at [[Martin Mere]], England
File:Pair of mandarin ducks.jpg|Mandarin pair at [[Martin Mere]], England
File:Aix galericulata (wild living in Warsaw).JPG|Mandarin Drake at [[Łazienki Park]], Poland
File:Mating Mandarin Ducks.jpg|Mating Pair at Rotterdam's Blijdorp Zoo, Netherlands.
File:Aix galericulata MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.27.5.jpg|Eggs
File:Mandarin duckling 800.jpg|Duckling at [[Osterley Park]], London
File:Pair of Mandarin Ducks, Metropolitan Museum of Art.jpg|A pair of Incense boxes shaped like mandarin ducks
File:The Detailed Sailed Drake.jpg|The Sail feathers of a Mandarin duck from the Alojamientos y Recreo Romero, Perú
File:The white duck of the Mandarins.jpg|White Drake alongside females at the Alojamientos y Recreo Romero, Perú
File:Samiec kaczki mandarynki z samicą kaczki krzyżówki.jpg|Mandarin Drake alongside a Female [[Mallard]] in [[Stara Iwiczna]], Poland
</gallery>


==References==
{{Reflist|refs=

<ref name=kk>
{{cite book 
|first1=Paul
|last1=Johnsgard
|year=1965
|title=Handbook of Waterfowl Behavior
|publisher=Comstock Pub. Associates
|isbn=978-0-8014-0207-4 
|pages=378}}
</ref>

<ref name=Aix>{{cite book |first1=Lawton |last1=Shurtleff |first2=Christopher |last2=Savage |year=1996 |title=The Wood Duck and the Mandarin: The Northern Wood Ducks |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0-520-20812-9}}</ref>

<ref name=berliner-zeitung>{{cite news |first=Jens |last=Blankennagel |url=http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/archiv/die-exotische-mandarinente-hat-sich-in-der-region-erfolgreich-angesiedelt-kunterbunte-einwanderer,10810590,10531116.html |newspaper=Berliner Zeitung |title=Kunterbunte Einwanderer |date=11 January 2008 |access-date=3 February 2012 |language=de}}</ref>

<ref name=HonoluluZoo>{{cite web |url=http://www.honoluluzoo.org/mandarin_duck.htm |title=Mandarin Duck |access-date=5 February 2012 |publisher=Honolulu Zoo |archive-date=31 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120531001257/http://www.honoluluzoo.org/mandarin_duck.htm }}</ref>

<ref name=LPZMandarinDuck>{{cite web |url=http://www.lpzoo.org/animals/factsheet/mandarin-duck |title=Mandarin Duck Fact Sheet |date=2 February 1900 |publisher=Lincoln Park Zoo |access-date=22 February 2011 |archive-date=17 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141217143019/http://www.lpzoo.org/animals/factsheet/mandarin-duck }}</ref>

<ref name=Madge>{{cite book |last1=Madge |first1=Steve |last2=Burn |first2=Hilary |year=1987 |title=Wildfowl: An identification guide to the ducks, geese and swans of the world |publisher=Christopher Helm |location=London |isbn=0-7470-2201-1 |pages=188–189}}</ref>

<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news |last=Chira |first=Susan |author-link=Susan Chira |title=The Happy Couple: Korean Wedding Ducks |date=5 October 1986 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/05/magazine/tips-for-sophisticated-traveler-super-souvenirs-happy-couple-korean-wedding.html |access-date=30 June 2013 }}</ref>

<ref name=post-gazette>{{Cite web|date=8 February 2012|title=Let's Talk About Birds: Mandarin Ducks|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/science/2012/02/08/Let-s-Talk-About-Birds-Mandarin-Ducks/stories/201202080316|website=post-gazette.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613014257/http://www.post-gazette.com/science/2012/02/08/Let-s-Talk-About-Birds-Mandarin-Ducks/stories/201202080316|archive-date=13 June 2015}}</ref>
}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/02/us/mandarin-duck-central-park-nyc-trnd/index.html |title=A rare Mandarin duck is hanging out in NYC's Central Park and nobody knows how it got there |first=Evan |last=Simko-Bednarski |publisher=[[CNN]]|date=2 November 2018 |access-date=2 November 2018}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category|Aix galericulata|Aix galericulata}}
{{Wikispecies|Aix galericulata}}
* [http://www.rspb.org.uk/birds/guide/m/mandarin/index.asp RSPB Birds by Name — Mandarin Duck]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070813102558/http://www.bbk.ac.uk/bcs/about_staff/baggott/Current_research/content/index_html Mandarin Duck Research Pages – Birkbeck, University of London]
* [http://www.mandarinduck.org/html/index.html Mandarin Duck Research]
* {{InternetBirdCollection|mandarin-duck-aix-galericulata}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q200339}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Aix (bird)]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Ducks]]
[[Category:Birds of Manchuria]]
[[Category:Birds of Japan]]
[[Category:Birds of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Birds described in 1758]]
[[Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus|mandarin duck]]