Decorative mandarin duck
Mandarin duck is a wild waterfowl that lives in the Far East, Northeast Asia, Japan. She was also brought to the USA, Ireland and the UK. You can meet her in zoos, in some countries she settles in public parks. Mandarin duck is a family of duck, a genus of forest ducks. This is a representative of an endangered species, therefore the Russian and World Red Book included it in their lists.
Mandarin duck
Description of the bird
Mandarin duck got its name in ancient China. The local nobles, who were called tangerines, really liked the unusually beautiful little birds. They often kept them in ponds in their gardens. Couples of birds were presented to the newlyweds for the wedding. Interesting facts indicate that these birds form a couple of times for a lifetime. Even after the death of a partner, they do not look for a new one for themselves, and therefore they are revered as a symbol of loyalty.
Images and figures of colored ducks are used in the ancient art of Feng Shui. The old names of the species are Chinese, or Mandarin duck, but they are no longer used.
What does a mandarin bird look like? She is not big at all and is considered the most beautiful of all ducks, thanks to the magnificent drake's wedding dress. Here is a brief description of the tangerine bird options:
- Weight - 0.4-0.7 kg.
- Body length - 40-48 cm.
- Wing length - 21-24.5 cm.
The tangerine is distinguished by interesting plumage colors that appear in males during the mating season. The drake's coloring looks like this:
- On the head there is a bright orange crest and sideburns of the same color; between them, from the peephole to the back of the neck, there are white stripes.
- The goiter is purple.
- The belly is white.
- The tail is dark above, light below.
- The sides are beige.
- The last feather on the wing ends in a bright orange fan, with the wings folded, it sticks up.
- On the back, the body is bright orange, with red, green and blue stripes.
It is important to note that all colors on the male's plumage are clearly separated from each other and almost never merge. The drawings on the plumage of the duck are more modest, it plays the role of camouflage, the colors smoothly transition into each other:
- The head is gray, with a small gray crest on it.
- The breast and sides are variegated, gray feathers alternate with white ones.
- The belly is white.
- The back is brown.
The drake wears his bright dress almost all year, from September to July. In the middle of summer, birds begin to molt, males become similar to females. At this time, they huddle in separate flocks and hide in the thickets. White mandarin ducks are very rare in nature. The female has a uniform light color. The male has a combination of white and cream shades. The protruding fans on the wings, a saddle on the back and a tuft on the head testify to belonging to the same species with colored tangerines. You can better see the appearance of birds in the photo of mandarin ducks.
Where do tangerines live
Where the mandarin duck lives. This bird lives in the countries of East Asia, Japan, Sakhalin, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, the Amur Valley.The bird is migratory; for the winter it flies to Japan and southern regions of China, but nests in the north. In the 18th century, ducks were introduced and successfully acclimatized to Ireland and Great Britain. In the 80s of the last century, mandarin ducks were brought to California. In Britain and the United States, birds often live in parks, near human homes, you can see them in zoos.
Today there are only 25,000 pairs of these unique beautiful birds. About 15,000 pairs nest in Russia (most in the Primorsky Territory), 4,500-5,000 pairs in Japan, about 1,000 pairs each in China, Ireland, Great Britain, 550 pairs in the USA. The bird is listed in the Red Book, hunting for it is strictly prohibited. But there are facts that during molting and ducks, drakes fall under the bullet by accident, hunters confuse them with other species.
The favorite habitats of the mandarin duck are forest lakes and mountain rivers. In some countries, they can be seen in city parks. Where mandarin ducks live, there should be many old decks, branches. This is the only duck species that makes nests in trees, sometimes at a height of up to 6 m. They jump well from such a great height and from birth teach this art to chicks. Tangerines love quiet wilderness places with windbreaks, old trees, which have hollows. Sometimes they settle near fields, periodically raiding crops. Since the species is not numerous, it does not cause much harm to agriculture.
Waterfowl mandarin ducks cannot do without water bodies. They swim beautifully, keeping their bodies high above the water. Diving is extremely rare, only when injured. They fly quickly and quite high, rise into the air from the surface of the water almost vertically.
What does the mandarin duck eat? Birds eat seeds of plants, rice and barley grains, which are found in the fields. The duck also likes snails, small fish, insects, acorns, and aquatic vegetation.
Natural enemies that threaten the mandarin duck are small predators that live in their habitat. The raccoon dog causes the most harm. This animal hunts chicks and adult birds, eats eggs. On the water, the otter is a danger, foxes, birds of prey hunt ducks. Nests in the hollows where the mandarin duck lives can be ruined by squirrels.
Ducks are thermophilic, they cannot stand temperatures below 5 ° C. Little ducklings can die in the cold summer. In September, the mandarin duck goes to warmer regions, and returns to its usual habitats quite early, at the end of March. Immediately after returning, the birds begin mating games.
Breeding ducks
The mating season for ducks of this breed begins in April. Males actively fight among themselves to get the attention of females. Couples form persistent, for life. If one of the partners dies, the other never finds a replacement for him. After mating, the female goes to look for a nest, and the male faithfully follows her. Basically, this species settles in hollows, very rarely builds a nest on the ground.
Having found a suitable place in the tree trunk, the mandarin duck lays eggs in it. Laying begins in April. There are 7-12 testicles in one nest of a duck. The female incubates them on her own, the male obtains and brings food to his duck. Incubation lasts a month, the timing may fluctuate within 1-2 days.
A few days after hatching, the chicks begin to jump out of the nest on their own. They can fall from a height of several meters, but nothing happens to them. Parents lead the ducklings to the pond and feeding grounds. Like all waterfowl, mandarin ducklings are free to float in the water from birth. At the slightest danger, the brood, together with the duck, hides in the thicket. The drake can distract the enemy by himself, thus saving the family.
Chicks become adults at the age of 40-45 days from birth. They can already fly and leave the parental nest.In the same period, the mandarin duck changes to its new outfit, a little nondescript, like that of a female. Males form separate flocks and try to hide from prying eyes. In September, when the molt is over, the males again put on multi-colored plumage. On the same days, mandarin ducks fly from cold regions to warm regions to return to their nesting sites next spring.
Breeding at home
Mandarin ducks, like decorative birds, were bred in China in ancient times. For any nobleman, it was a matter of prestige to keep these handsome men in his pond. The amazing and rare white duck, which is very difficult to find in nature, was especially appreciated. Mandarin duck in China is a symbol of fidelity, that's why birds are often presented for weddings. Now you can also buy small beautiful ducks, although they are quite expensive and rare on the market. The following are the rules for keeping mandarin ducks at home.
Poultry house arrangement
It is desirable to bring the living conditions for mandarin ducks as close as possible to natural ones. In summer they can be kept in an aviary, in winter - only in a poultry house, ducks do not tolerate low temperatures. Space requirements are as follows:
- The aviary is made quite spacious, at least 10-15 m² for one pair.
- From above, the aviary is closed with a net so that the tangerines do not fly away.
- Inside, there must be trees or thick poles on which the duck will sit comfortably.
- Be sure to put a mini pool or a large container of water.
- Nests in the house should be made not on the ground, but at a height of 1.5-2 m, they can be attached to the wall or to the perch. The size of the nest is 40 cm wide and the same height.
The Chinese mandarin duck can easily get along with other species of birds, but not with its relatives, therefore it is not recommended to keep more than one pair in one enclosure. If there are two of them, the males will periodically arrange fights with each other, so that the females may stop laying eggs.
Feeding ducks
When choosing a diet, you need to take into account what the mandarin duck eats in nature. Here is the approximate composition of the food a duck needs:
- Proteins of animal origin (bloodworms, dry daphnia, snails, small fish, minced meat and fish).
- Chopped greens (duckweed, nettle, quinoa, dandelion and other types of grass).
- Wet mash with vegetables (boiled porridge, grated carrots, pumpkin, zucchini).
- Cereals (rice and barley grains, wheat, corn cobs).
- Oilseed cake.
- Acorns.
Normal feeding and diet should include a fifth of crude proteins. If there are fewer of them, mandarin ducks will not breed, and if they are oversupplied, they can get sick. Food should always be fresh. In winter, when there is no greenery, it is worth preparing silage for the ducks, grass flour, and giving more fresh vegetables.
Breeding
Mandarin ducks are not too willing to breed at home, therefore breeding them is difficult. The male does not always fertilize eggs with high quality. The mandarin duck very often does not sit on the clutch for a full month, as a result of which the embryos may die. These reasons have led to the fact that at present they practice laying eggs of representatives of this breed under other types of domestic ducks.
When the time comes for the duck to sit on the eggs, the male needs to be transferred to another enclosure. Then the probability that the bird will remain on the clutch to the end is higher. Raising ducklings can be problematic too. Mandarin duck in captivity easily throws its brood. In order to get high-quality offspring from this wild species, you need to have considerable experience, otherwise the chicks will not hatch or die from oversight.
Decorative ducks are a wonderful decoration for a home garden. But don't forget that they are wild birds. In different countries of the world, they are kept in zoos and on ponds to keep the species from extinction. If you do not have appropriate conditions for keeping, it is better not to settle birds of this breed at home, because they love freedom most of all.
How long does a mandarin duck live? In nature, its average lifespan is 10 years; at home, birds live a little longer, since there is no threat from predators, some diseases can be cured.