Aix galericulata

Mandarin Duck, no subspecies.

Mandarin ducks migrate to their breeding grounds in the northeast at the end of March and the beginning of April, and leave their breeding grounds in late September and early October. When migrating in groups, often in small groups of 7-8 or more than 10 birds, sometimes there are as many as 50 birds in large groups. In Guizhou, Taiwan and other places, some mandarin ducks do not migrate but stay.

Mandarin ducks often arrive at breeding grounds in large groups, spending their first days at breeding grounds in pools and streams in open areas of low mountains, and resting in groups near water or on unmelted ice. In addition to the breeding period, they often move in groups, especially during the migration season and winter, with clusters of up to 50-60 individuals, sometimes up to 100 individuals. Good at swimming and diving, walking on the ground is also very good, in addition to water activities, but also often to the land activities and foraging. Sexual alert, take off immediately in case of human or other disturbance, and emit a high-pitched "oh son" sound.

The Mandarin ducks are very alert, very good at hiding, and have a strong ability to fly. After a full meal, when returning to the dwelling place, there is often a pair of mandarin ducks circling over the dwelling place to scout and confirm that there is no danger before calling a large group to rest together. If the situation is found, the alarm sound of "Oh, oh, oh" is issued, and the companions quickly escape.

Mandarin ducks are omnivorous animals. The type of food often varies with the season and habitat, the breeding season is dominated by animal food, and the winter food is almost all nuts such as oaks. In spring and winter, they mainly eat grass, grass leaves, leaves, grass roots, grass seeds, moss and other plant foods, but also eat crops such as corn, rice and honeysuckle, acorn and other plant fruits and seeds. In the breeding season, the food was mainly animal foods, such as ants, stoneflies, katydids, locusts, mosquitoes, beetles and insect larvae. The animal foods such as crayfish, shrimp, snails, spiders, small fish and frogs were also eaten. Foraging activities are most frequent during the day, especially from dawn to sunrise and from 14:00 to 16:00 in the morning. It usually forages in the smooth flow of the river and the shallow water at the water's edge, and sometimes it also forages in roadside ponds and fields and cultivated lands after harvest. When foraging in the water, in addition to directly wading for food in the shallow water at the water's edge, sometimes diving for food and swimming while swimming with the head in the water. Resting or floating on the water or swimming back and forth in the water, sometimes standing in groups on the beach or stones at the water's edge.

Mandarin ducks breed in mountainous forests. At the end of March and the beginning of April, when they move to the breeding ground, they do not nest immediately, but move in groups outside the forest in rivers and ponds. As the weather gets warmer, the ducks disperse and enter their nesting grounds in pairs. Mating behavior begins in late April and continues until mid-May. Before the mating activity begins, both male and female swim in the water, male ducks frequently bend their necks to female ducks, dip their mouths in the water, while vertical head gorgeous crown feathers, and then straighten their necks, head from time to time swing, then male and female side by side slowly swim in the water, and from time to time immerse their mouths in the water, after a period of time, female ducks speed forward, male ducks closely follow, while constantly tilting up the tail. Then he jumps on the back of the female duck and carries the female duck's head feathers in his mouth for mating. The mating time is about 2 seconds each time, and can be carried out 4-5 times in a row. After mating, they each spread their wings for a water bath and preening, and then went to the shore to rest.

Mandarin ducks like to nest in natural cavities near the water's edge of old trees, 10-18 meters above the ground. The nest material is very simple, in addition to the wood chips of the tree itself, and then the female bird pulled down from her own body. The hole size is 8 cm ×9 cm, the nest hole size is 43 cm ×34 cm, the wall thickness of the hole is 8 cm, the hole depth is 64 cm. The eggs are laid at the beginning of May, 7-12 eggs are laid in each clutch, oval, white, smooth and without spots, the size is 47-52 mm ×37-40 mm, the average is 50 mm ×38.3 mm, the weight is 18-45 grams, the average is 22.9 grams. The female incubates her eggs, and the male leaves the female to moult in a sheltered part of the river after the female incubates her eggs. In addition to going out for food at 3:00-4:00, 7:00-9:00 and 16:00-17:00 every day during incubation, female birds generally do not leave the nest, especially in the last 1-2 days of incubation almost never leave the nest, and the love nest is very strong, and the incubation period is 28-30 days.

The chicks are early sex, the whole body is covered with feathers after the eggs are hatched, and the next day, the chicks can jump down from the tall tree hole and enter the water after they can swim and dive. When leaving the nest, the parent bird first chirps in the hole, the chirping is quick and thin, lasting for 1 hour, and then the parent bird flies out of the hole, falls into the water under the tree, and continues to chirp constantly. The chicks in the hole also follow the chirping of "chirping", and use their sharp claws to slowly climb to the hole, then jump to the grass under the tree one by one, and quickly run into the water. Swim around the parent bird.

Mandarin ducks are also one of China's traditional export birds, which once had a large population in China, and a large number of live birds are hunted every year for domestic zoos and exports. Before 1975, whether in the spring in Changbai Mountain or in the winter in the southern wintering ground, you can often encounter a large group of 40-50 animals, and this spectacular scene is difficult to see. This is mainly due to deforestation and hunting, resulting in dwindling populations. According to the survey, the breeding population in China is 1500-2000 pairs. It is listed on the world's endangered bird list.

Listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN)2018 ver 3.1 - Not Threatened (LC).

Listed in China's "National Key Protected Wildlife List" (February 5, 2021) Level 2.

Protect wild animals and eliminate wild meat.

Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!

Resident birds: China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea and Russia.
Introduced in: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Travellers: Belarus, India, Mongolia, Burma, Nepal, Spain, Thailand and Vietnam.
In China, it mainly breeds in northern Northeast China and Inner Mongolia. The southeast provinces and Fujian, Guangdong wintering; A few are resident birds in Taiwan, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places. There is an 11 km long Baiyan Creek in Pingnan County, Fujian province. The water is deep and beautiful, and the mountains on both sides are quiet. Thousands of mandarin ducks spend the winter here every year. It is the first Mandarin duck nature reserve in China. Yuanyang Lake in Wuyuan County, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province is the largest wintering habitat of wild mandarin ducks in Asia and even the world.
During the breeding period, it mainly inhabits mountain forest rivers, lakes, ponds, reed swamps and ri

Mandarin ducks are small swimming birds, the male bird's forehead and the center of the head are emerald green, and have a metallic luster; The occipital is copper-red in color, and the long feathers of dark purple-green on the nape form the crest. The brow lines are white, wide and long, and extend back to form part of the crest. The eyes are pale yellow first, the cheeks have brown-maroon spots, the feathers above the eyes and ears are brown-white, and the side of the neck has a spear-shaped bright chestnut collar. Back and waist dark brown, with copper green metallic luster; The inner shoulder feathers are purple, the outer parts are pure white, and have velvet black edges; The upper wing cover is the same color as the back. The primary feathers are dark brown, the outer web has a silver-white feather margin, the inner web tip has a copper green luster; The secondary feathers are brown, with white feather ends, and the inner ones are metallic green; The three levels of flight f