A duck of wooded ponds and streams. Males in breeding plumage have ornamental feathers raised like sails above the back.
Breeding males show vivid orange and other colours. Females are dull greyish birds with a white line curving behind the eye.
Mandarin ducks on a river in China’s Poyang Lake watershed rested most around midday. Feeding was concentrated in the morning and late afternoon, while swimming also declined at noon.
Wild flocks of about 35 birds used a roughly five-kilometre river stretch. During January–March and November 2016, observers scanned their activities every five minutes between 07:30 and 17:30 on 28 days. Resting accounted for about 37% of records; swimming and feeding each accounted for about a fifth. Females rested more, whereas males spent more time on maintenance and vigilance.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.
Gifu Prefecture’s account, updated in 2015, identifies removal of waterside woodland, especially large cavity-bearing trees, as a threat. It also reports ducklings becoming separated from parents while travelling to water in the Hida region. Recommended measures combine protection of large-tree woodland and safe watersides with public awareness to keep families together.