Mandarin Duck

Aix galericulata (Linnaeus, 1758)

41–49 cmLength71 cmWingspan567 gWeight

In the breeding season, the male has raised orange-red “sails” on its back, while the female is gray-brown with a white eyestripe.

Busiest months: January, March–May and November · Most records: China, United Kingdom, United States

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male has raised orange-red sail feathers on back in breeding season
Male has a large white crescent above eye
Male bill small and red, with a white tip
Female dark gray, with a white eyestripe

Male, female and young

Male brightly colored in breeding season, female dark gray; in non-breeding season, male also turns gray and resembles female.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January, March–May and November · Most records: China, United Kingdom, United States

Mandarin Duck has been recorded at 1,006 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 54 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Irvine Regional ParkUnited States1,637 records
Hampstead HeathUnited Kingdom852 records
WWT London Wetland CentreUnited Kingdom716 records

More places

Peking UniversityChina664 records
Großer TiergartenGermany639 records
Seoul – ChanggyeonggungSouth Korea596 records
Reifel Bird SanctuaryCanada583 records
Summer PalaceChina542 records
Regent's ParkUnited Kingdom524 records
Old Summer Palace [Yuanming Yuan]China512 records

Countries and regions with the most records

China United Kingdom United States South Korea Japan Canada Germany Spain

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a perching duck species native to East and Northeast Asia. It is sexually dimorphic; the males are elaborately coloured, while the females have more subdued colours. It is a medium-sized duck, at 41–49 cm (16–19 in) long with a 65–75 cm (26–30 in) wingspan.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Mandarin Duck?

The Mandarin Duck is about 41–49 cm long, with a wingspan of 71 cm and weighs around 567 g.

Where does the Mandarin Duck live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: southeastern Siberia, Korean Peninsula, Japan and eastern China. It is most often recorded in China, United Kingdom and United States.