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Art by Barry Kent MacKay

(Artwork - 258)
Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)

The Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) is one of two ducks in the genus Aix, the other being the Wood Duck (A. sponsa). The females of the two species are quite similar to each other in colour and pattern, but the males in breeding plumage are quite different, and in each species, breeding plumage males are boldly coloured and patterned. They obviously have relatively recent common ancestry and both are prized for their beauty and well-known where they naturally occur. Mandarin Ducks were once endangered in their eastern Asian range but happily protection occurred in time to reverse the trend (with the same thing happening with the Wood Duck in North America – conservation can work!) and their numbers are not only increasing, but there are well-established feral populations in other parts of the world, including Europe and California. Both species are valued by waterfowl collectors and zoos, and escapees are inevitable.

The adult male weighs around .63 kg, or just under 1½ lbs, the females slightly larger, but with a lot of variation depending on how much subcutaneous fat has been accumulated. They often perch in trees and nest in hole cavities. The female, especially if pressed to find a suitable cavity in which to lay her eggs, may deposit them into the nest of another Mandarin Duck, a practice called conspecific or intraspecific parasitism, or even in the nest of a different species – interspecific parasitism. This can lead to the appearance of very large broods, taxing the strength of the mother duck tasked with caring for more than her own ducklings, who usually number about nine to twelve in number. Such high brood numbers indicate a high mortality rate, but also indicate inherent ability for populations to recover from low numbers if protected, exactly as is happening, or to colonize new regions of suitable habitat, also happening.

Ducklings, upon hatching, are lured by the hen to come out of the nest and leap to the ground, often bouncing on contact, but unhurt by the fall. Males are attentive to their mates in the earlier stages of nesting but then go off on their own to moult into an “eclipse” summer plumage very similar to the female and juvenile plumages. At that time both sexes will shed all primary flight feathers, briefly becoming flightless until new ones grow in. In the higher latitudes of their natural range Mandarin Ducks are migratory but in ice-free areas they may eschew migration.

This painting is in oils on a birchwood panel and is 24 by 18 inches.

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