Chuck Bednar for redOrbit.com – @BednarChuck
Male mandarin ducks may be nature’s ultimate deadbeat dads, leaving the females to raise their ducklings while they go off and have “molting parties” with the boys, according to UK scientist, conservationist and duck-expert Christopher Lever.
Lever, a naturalist and the author of 11 books, told National Geographic that the ducks, which are native to East Asia but have also been introduced in Europe and the US, typically mate for long-term and are often looked upon as symbols of fidelity in China and Japan
Mandarin drakes “possesses an amazing and bizarre plumage which makes him one of the most beautiful and striking ducks – indeed one of the most beautiful birds – in the world,” Lever said. However, once he has found a mate, he undergoes drastic changes to his appearance.
According to the website, European drakes sport what Lever calls “full breeding finery” during the fall: a green-and-copper head, a purple-colored breast, rust-colored ruff and wings that are an orange-gold color. While he is courting a mate during the winter, he will preen, shake and show off those colorful feathers in order to convince the less-flashy female to mate.
After mating, the duck lays between nine and 12 eggs by April or May, and the drake sticks around for the 28- to 33-day incubation process. Once the offspring hatch, however, he bails on his mate, leaving the female to rear them on her own while the males head off to a molting party.
During that event, which lasts all summer long, the drakes lose their colorful feathers in what is known as “eclipse plumage.” They also lose their primary wing feathers during this time, becoming temporarily flightless and using their dull colors as camouflage to hide from would-be predators. The next fall, they regain their colorful feathers and the process repeats itself.
Mike Marcus of the National Aviary, who calls the mandarin drake one of “the most beautifully colored of all waterfowl,” said that it also has one of the more elaborate courtship displays in the avian kingdom. In order to attract a mate, it uses whistling calls, raises its crests and sail feathers, bobs its heads and preens in order to gain the attention of a would-be partner.
The mandarin ducks (Aix galericulata) were once widespread in eastern Asia, but due to exports of the bird and the destruction of its forest habitat have caused populations in China and Russia to fall to less than 1,000 pairs in each country, the National Aviary representative said. However, there were still more than 5,000 pairs believed to reside in Japan as of 2012.
“Ducks in captivity have been known to escape from private waterfowl collections. In the 20th century, a large feral population was established in Great Britain. There are now approximately 7,000 in Britain with other populations on the European continent,” Marcus concluded. In the US, mandarin ducks can be found living in the wild in both California and North Carolina.
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