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33-530: Anas galericulata Linnaeus, 1758 The mandarin duck ( Aix galericulata ) is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic . It is sexually dimorphic , with males showing a dramatic difference from the females. It is medium-sized, at 41–49 cm (16–19 in) long with a 65–75 cm (26–30 in) wingspan. It is closely related to the North American wood duck ,
66-456: A "leucistic" appearance include piebaldism , Waardenburg syndrome , vitiligo , Chédiak–Higashi syndrome , flavism, isabellinism , xanthochromism , axanthism , amelanism , and melanophilin mutations. Pale patches of skin, feathers, or fur (often referred to as " depigmentation ") can also result from injury. Leucism is often used to describe the phenotype that results from defects in pigment cell differentiation and/or migration from
99-421: A decrease in the costs from parental care and incubation. Additionally, female parasitic ducks can reduce their risks from predation . While there was speculation that larger clutch sizes can lead to an increase in resource competition, research has found that the number of parasite eggs had no negative influence on the success of eggs from the host . Over generations, conspecific brood parasitism can increase
132-524: A nearby body of water. Mandarins feed by dabbling or walking on land. They mainly eat plants and seeds , especially beech mast. The species will also add snails, insects and small fish to its diet. The diet of mandarin ducks changes seasonally; in the fall and winter, they mostly eat acorns and grains. In the spring, they mostly eat insects, snails, fish and aquatic plants. In the summer, they eat dew worms, small fish, frogs, mollusks, and small snakes. They feed mainly near dawn or dusk, perching in trees or on
165-427: A shorter height and smaller overall body size than the dabbling ducks , and is slightly smaller than its American wood duck relatives. The adult male has a petite, red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and "whiskers". The male's breast is purple with two vertical white bars, the flanks ruddy, and he has two orange feathers at the back (large feathers that stick up similar to boat sails). The female
198-700: A single bird, dubbed Mandarin Patinkin , was seen in New York City 's Central Park . The habitats it prefers in its breeding range are the dense, shrubby forested edges of rivers and lakes. It mostly occurs in low-lying areas, but it may breed in valleys at altitudes of up to 1,500 m (4,900 ft). In winter, it additionally occurs in marshes, flooded fields, and open rivers. While it prefers fresh water, it may also be seen wintering in coastal lagoons and estuaries. In its introduced European range, it lives in more open habitat than in its native range, around
231-504: A symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity, and are frequently featured in Chinese art. A Chinese proverb for loving couples uses the mandarin duck as a metaphor: "Two mandarin ducks playing in water" (simplified Chinese: 鸳鸯戏水 ; traditional Chinese: 鴛鴦戲水 ; pinyin: yuānyāng xì shuǐ ). A mandarin duck symbol is also used in Chinese weddings because in traditional Chinese lore, they symbolize wedded bliss and fidelity. Because
264-507: Is because the melanocytes of the RPE do not derive from the neural crest . Instead, an out-pouching of the neural tube generates the optic cup that, in turn, forms the retina . As these cells are from an independent developmental origin, they are typically unaffected by the genetic cause of leucism. Genes that, when mutated , can cause leucism include c-kit , mitf and EDNRB . The terms leucistic and leucism are derived from
297-399: Is in contrast to albinism , for which leucism is often mistaken. Albinism results in the reduction of melanin production only, though the melanocyte (or melanophore ) is still present. Thus in species that have other pigment cell-types, for example xanthophores , albinos are not entirely white, but instead display a pale yellow color. More common than a complete absence of pigment cells
330-418: Is localized or incomplete hypopigmentation , resulting in irregular patches of white on an animal that otherwise has normal coloring and patterning. This partial leucism is known as a "pied" or " piebald " effect; and the ratio of white to normal-colured skin can vary considerably not only between generations, but between different offspring from the same parents, and even between members of the same litter. This
363-688: Is notable in horses , cows , cats , dogs , the urban crow and the ball python but is also found in many other species. Due to the lack of melanin production in both the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE) and iris , those affected by albinism sometimes have pink pupil due to the underlying blood vessels showing through. However, this is not always the case and many albino animals do not have pink pupils. The common belief that all albinos have pink pupils results in many albinos being incorrectly labeled as 'leucistic'. The neural crest disorders that cause leucism do not result in pink pupils and therefore most leucistic animals have normally colored eyes. This
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#1732786904431396-403: Is similar to the female wood duck, with a grayish-lavender tone to her plumage, and a white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye. The female is paler on the underside, has a small white flank stripe, and a pale tip to its bill. Both the males and females have crests, but the purple crest is more pronounced on the male. Like many other species of ducks, the male undergoes a moult after
429-412: The neural crest to skin, hair, or feathers during development . This results in either the entire surface (if all pigment cells fail to develop) or patches of body surface (if only a subset are defective) having a lack of cells that can make pigment . Since all pigment cell-types differentiate from the same multipotent precursor cell-type, leucism can cause the reduction in all types of pigment. This
462-537: The wood duck in the genus Aix that was introduced in 1828 by the German ornithologist Friedrich Boie . The species is monotypic : no subspecies are recognised. The genus name is the Ancient Greek word for an unknown diving bird mentioned by Aristotle . The specific epithet is from Latin galericulatum meaning a "peruke" or "wig". The mandarin duck is among the more diminutive types of waterfowl, with
495-755: The 20th century, a large, feral population was established in Great Britain ; more recently, small numbers have bred in Ireland, concentrated in the parks of Dublin . Now, about 7,000 are in Britain. Owing to its different habitat preferences compared to native water birds, the mandarin duck appears to have had no negative impacts on native wildfowl as a result of its introduction to the UK, as it does not engage in competition with other ducks over their habitats. Additional populations of mandarin ducks can be found on
528-559: The Bird it self, it being a very common one." In 1747 the English naturalist George Edwards included an illustration and a description of the species in the second volume of his A Natural History of Uncommon Birds . He used the English name "The Chinese teal". He based his hand-coloured etching on a live specimen kept by the merchant Matthew Decker on his estate at Richmond in Surrey. Decker
561-499: The Cairinini tribe, and do not have an identified current subfamily include: Leucism Leucism ( / ˈ l uː s ɪ z əm , - k ɪ z -/ ) is a wide variety of conditions that result in partial loss of pigmentation in an animal —causing white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales, or cuticles, but not the eyes. It is occasionally spelled leukism . Some genetic conditions that result in
594-527: The Chinese, they believe that these ducks mate for life. For these reasons, pairs of wooden-carved mandarin ducks called wedding ducks are often given as wedding gifts and play a significant role in Korean marriage . Similarly, in Japanese the ducks are called oshidori ( おしどり/オシドリ/鴛鴦 ) and are used in the phrase oshidori fūfu ( おしどり夫婦 , "a couple of lovebirds/happily married couple") . In addition,
627-522: The Crown Prince wears the Sokutai decorated with a pattern featuring oshidori . Perching duck The term perching ducks is used colloquially to mean any species of ducks distinguished by their readiness to perch high in trees . Until the late 20th century, perching ducks meant Cairinini , a tribe of ducks in the duck , goose and swan family Anatidae , grouped together on
660-589: The European continent, the largest of which is in the region of Berlin . Isolated populations exist in the United States. The town of Black Mountain, North Carolina , has a limited population, and a free-flying feral population of several hundred mandarins exist in Sonoma County, California . This population is the result of several ducks escaping from captivity, then reproducing in the wild. In 2018,
693-400: The basis of their readiness to perch high in trees . It has been subsequently shown that the grouping is paraphyletic and their apparent similarity results from convergent evolution , with the different members more closely related to various other ducks than to each other. Perching duck species include: Plectropterinae Tadorninae Anatinae Species that were formally in
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#1732786904431726-460: The edges of lakes, water meadows, and cultivated areas with woods nearby. Compared to other ducks, mandarins are shy birds, preferring to seek cover under trees such as overhanging willows , and form smaller flocks, but may become bolder as a result of becoming tame from frequent interaction with humans. In the wild, mandarin ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or ponds. They nest in cavities in trees close to water during
759-487: The eye-stripe of mandarin ducklings (and wood ducklings) stops at the eye, while in mallard ducklings it reaches all the way to the bill. Various mutations of the mandarin duck are found in captivity. The most common is the white mandarin duck. Although the origin of this mutation is unknown, the constant pairing of related birds and selective breeding is presumed to have led to recessive gene combinations, leading in turn to genetic conditions including leucism . The species
792-771: The ground during the day. Like many other bird species, Mandarin ducks display conspecific brood parasitism . Typically, Mandarin ducks lay their eggs in nests of their own relatives or other bird species. In the Zuojia Nature Reserve in Northeast China , 46.1% of Mandarin ducks were found to practice conspecific brood parasitism. Female ducks lay their eggs in different nests for a wide variety of reasons. For example, when there are nest limitations or there are little resources available, female ducks are more likely to practice conspecific brood parasitism. When females practice this behavior, they can benefit from
825-522: The male and female plumages of the mandarin duck are so unalike, 'yuan-yang' is frequently used colloquially in Cantonese to mean an "odd couple" or "unlikely pair" – a mixture of two different types of the same category; for example, the drink yuanyang and yuan-yang fried rice. Mandarin ducks featured on the flag of Weihaiwei during British rule. For Koreans , mandarin ducks represent peace, fidelity, and plentiful offspring. Similar to
858-708: The mandarin duck is habitat loss due to loggers. Hunters are also a threat to the mandarin duck, because often they are unable to recognize the mandarin in flight and as a result, many are shot by accident. Mandarin ducks are not hunted for food, but are still poached because their extreme beauty is prized. The Chinese refer to mandarin ducks as yuanyang ( simplified Chinese : 鸳鸯 ; traditional Chinese : 鴛鴦 ; pinyin : yuānyāng ), where 'yuan' ( 鴛 ) and 'yang' ( 鴦 ) respectively stand for male and female mandarin ducks. In traditional Chinese culture, mandarin ducks are believed to be lifelong couples, unlike other species of ducks. Hence they are regarded as
891-402: The mating season into eclipse plumage. When in eclipse plumage, the male looks similar to the female but can be distinguished by its bright yellow-orange or red beak, lack of any crest, and a less-pronounced eye-stripe. Mandarin ducklings are almost identical in appearance to wood ducklings, and very similar to mallard ducklings. The ducklings can be distinguished from mallard ducklings because
924-436: The net number of offsprings found within each generation. Overall, other duck species that have utilized this behavior to lay their eggs were able to increase their reproductive success by more than double. Predation of the mandarin duck varies between different parts of its range. Mink , raccoon dogs , otters , polecats , Eurasian eagle-owls , and grass snakes are all predators of the mandarin duck. The greatest threat to
957-619: The only other member of the genus Aix . 'Aix' is an Ancient Greek word which was used by Aristotle to refer to an unknown diving bird, and 'galericulata' is the Latin for a wig, derived from galerum , a cap or bonnet. Outside of its native range, the mandarin duck has a large introduced population in the British Isles and Western Europe , with additional smaller introductions in North America. The mandarin duck
990-473: The spring. A single clutch of nine to twelve eggs is laid in April or May. Although the male may defend the brooding female and his eggs during incubation, he himself does not incubate the eggs and leaves before they hatch. Shortly after the ducklings hatch, their mother flies to the ground and coaxes the ducklings to leap from the nest. After all of the ducklings are out of the tree, they will follow their mother to
1023-522: Was a director of the East India Company . When in 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus updated his Systema Naturae for the tenth edition , he placed the mandarin duck with the ducks and geese in the genus Anas . Linnaeus included a brief description, coined the binomial name Anas galericulata and cited the earlier publications. The mandarin duck is now placed together with
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1056-475: Was described and illustrated in 1727 by the German explorer Engelbert Kaempfer in his The History of Japan . He wrote: "Of Ducks also there are several differing kinds, and as tame as the Geese. One kind particularly I cannot forbear mentioning, because of the surprizing beauty of its male, call'd Kinmodsui , which is so great, that being shew'd its picture in colours, I could hardly believe my own Eyes, till I saw
1089-516: Was once widespread in East Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest habitat have reduced populations in eastern Russia and in China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs. The Asian populations are migratory , overwintering in lowland eastern China and southern Japan. Specimens frequently escape from collections, and in
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