Mandarin Duck: Identification, Habitat, and Feeding Preferences
Recently a colleague spent an enjoyable afternoon fishing in Lincolnshire and spotted a Mandarin duck in the lake.
With a great latin name of Aix galericulata, we decided to look into this beautiful bird a little more.
A member of the Swans, ducks and geese family it was introduced from China into private ornamental wildfowl collections but following escapes from captivity it is now firmly established in the UK.
Its main population is south, central and eastern England but small numbers can be seen in Wales, Northern England, and Scotland.
Mandarins like to sit in the shade on the side of a lake surrounded by foliage and hanging trees. Hard to spot which is a shame as the male is one of the world’s most beautiful birds, with ornate plumage and long orange feathers on the side of its face.
This amazing duck can be seen all year round but very rarely seen in flight making it easy to feed on insects, vegetation, and seeds. Try scattering our Duck and Goose mix to attract the duck to feed.
Written by Angela and Chris
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