The adult male Mandarin Duck, featured here, is a striking and unmistakable bird. The female is pale brown with a white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye, a small white flank stripe and a pale tip to its bill.
The species was once widespread in eastern Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest 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.
Unlike other species of ducks, most Mandarin drakes reunite with the hens they mated with along with their offsprings after the eggs have hatched and even share scout duties in watching the ducklings closely. The pair are monogamous and are said to mourn the loss of their mate.
In Chinese culture a pair of Mandarin Ducks symbolise conjugal affection and fidelity. A Chinese proverb for loving couples uses the Mandarin Duck as a metaphor: "Two mandarin ducks playing in water". Feng Shui practice suggests placing a pair of Mandarin Duck symbols in one's living space to attract or enhance love and relationships.
[All text: Ref (67)]
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