mandarin duck Fast Facts
Overview
Diet
They will feed mainly on plants and seeds, but will eat snails, small insects and small fish. Their diet changes throughout the year depending on the season and the availability of each food item.
Reproduction
These ducks are quite choosy when it comes to their breeding partner. At the start of the breeding season which is late winter, early spring the male will perform an courtship display to attract a female. Once the female has found a male she is happy with the ducks will form a strong bond and usually pair for life. After mating the ducks will find a suitable nesting site, usually in a tree hollow near a marshy area or shallow pond where the female will lay up to 10 eggs. After about 30 days of incubation the eggs will hatch within a few hours of each other. The female will call the chicks from the ground to encourage them to fledge the nest.
Threats + Conservation
Threats are mainly from predation. They are also at risk from habitat loss due to logging.
Fun facts
The Mandarin duck display sexual dimorphism, which means that the male and female have a difference appearance. The male is vibrantly coloured with an elaborate plumage. the female is generally a brown/grey colour. The males use these elaborate colours to show off the females.