![]() The male performs bill dipping movements before mounting and then swims away from the female while orienting the back of his head in her direction. She will initiate copulatory behavior by performing head pumping movements then extending prone on the water. Females take the initiative in choosing their mates by inciting behavior toward the preferred male. The male also makes a high-pitched staccato bark, a barely audible whistle and heard least often, is the grunting sound, similar to that of a wild pig.Ĭourtship begins in the fall and involves very elaborate, complex behavior such as shaking movements, display drinking and preening. The male produces a nasal whistling note during display, whereas the female makes a high pitched courtship call that sounds like “keet”. Mandarins are highly social but males have been observed spontaneously fighting with one another. They are also one of the few who guard hens and ducklings until the ducklings are able to fly. Males display an aggressive courtship flight for females. Feeding occurs during both day and night, but during the daytime they spend much of their time in shady areas. In the wild, Mandarins will forage for their food. The Mandarin Duck hunts by head-dipping in shallow waters. The calls of the Mandarin sound similar to ge,ge, wooing and bifu. ![]() During molting periods when the Mandarin sheds its feathers, the males resemble females but can be distinguished by the red bill. The juveniles resemble the females but the males have a pinkish bill. The females are duller in color and lack the crested head. Differences between the sexes are obvious, the males have a crested head and chestnut/orange wing and sail feathers that are raised vertically above their back. The female bears a strong resemblance to the female Wood Duck but can be distinguished by the narrow eye stripe the Wood Ducks is shorter and more blunt. ![]() ![]() The bill is grayish black and the legs and feet are reddish yellow. The wings are similar to the males but without the sail feathers. The back is gray brown and there are a series of white spots on the under parts. The throat and fore neck are white and the breast and sides of body are buff and gray. The crown and sides of the head and neck are gray with a white-eye ring and streak that tapers off towards the neck. Their color vary from gray and white, to brown and greenish brown. Their bill is red and they have whitish legs with yellow feet. This sail shape feature along with the white-eye stripe that extends from the bill and tapers toward the back of the head distinguishes the male from all others. The outer tertials are orange and gold on the inner web and form a sail shape and the upper wing surface is mostly olive brown. The back and tail are olive brown, the upper tail coverts are blue/green, and the scapulars are iridescent blue. The breast is maroon with black and white vertical stripes the abdomen and underside are white with gold and black flanks. The males have an iridescent crown extending to a long crest and chestnut cheeks. In full plumage, the male Mandarin is the most beautiful of all ducks. They have a tail length of 10.2-10.4cm and an average bill length of 27.9mm. The average length for the Mandarin Duck is between 43-51cm, wings folded 22.1-22.6cm.
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