In the world of nature, you can find all kinds of colorful birds, and if you happen to live near a lake, ducks are probably a pretty common sight as well. Usually, when folks think of colorful ducks, pictures of ducks with brown bodies and green heads might spring to mind. However, there is a species of duck out there that puts many of even the most colorful of songbirds to shame. These ducks are known as Mandarin ducks, and they are by far some of the most “extra” fowl on the waters today with colorful feathers that make them look like swimming rainbows. These ducks have red bills, a crest of green, copper, black, and blue, a deep purple breast, and bright gold-colored wings. Oh, yes, and they also have a couple of white and black stripes thrown into the mix as well.
These flamboyant birds can’t help but turn heads wherever they go. However, these colorful feathers are only for the males of the species. The female birds look pretty much like any ordinary duck, with brown feathers. They typically have white and brown feathers along with a speckled crest. Even their beaks are pretty boring. However, when the male ducks are in molting season, they begin to look more like their female counterparts as they shed their old feathers. It’s during the molting season that you can only tell males and females apart by looking at their bills.
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Mandarin ducks originate from East Asia and are found in countries such as China, Japan, Korea, and Eastern Russia. Unfortunately, destruction to their habitats has greatly reduced their population.
Today, Russia and China have about 1,000 breeding pairs, total while Japan hosts 5,000 pairs.
However, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), this duck is listed as “least concern,” mainly due to the large range they inhabit around the world.
In other words, Mandarin ducks can adapt to a lot of different environments and thrive just fine.
And recently, these birds have been sighted in the U.S. taking up residence in counties within North Carolina and California, although they have very small natural populations. However, it’s also been reported that a single male was sighted in Central Park in New York City!
You can get a glimpse of the hottest bachelor duck in NYC in the video below.
