{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Taxon",
  "slug": "mandarin-duck",
  "name": "Mandarin Duck",
  "scientificName": "Aix galericulata",
  "category": "Bird",
  "summary": "The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a small, tree-nesting duck from East Asia, famous for the male's orange 'sails', whiskery orange cheeks and purple breast. Females are grey-brown with a white eye-ring. It is native to the Russian Far East, Korea, Japan and eastern China, and introduced birds now breed wild in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. It is listed as Least Concern.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Identification",
      "body": "Breeding males are unmistakable: a red bill, a broad white stripe above the eye, orange 'whiskers', a purple breast with white and black stripes, and two upright orange wing feathers like sails. Females and non-breeding males are grey-brown with a white eye-ring and stripe."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Nesting in trees",
      "body": "Mandarins nest in holes in trees, sometimes high above the ground. Soon after hatching the ducklings jump from the nest hole to the ground or water below, unharmed, and follow the female to the water."
    },
    {
      "heading": "A symbol of fidelity",
      "body": "In Chinese and East Asian culture, pairs of mandarin ducks represent faithful marriage and appear in art and as wedding gifts. In reality males leave the female once incubation starts, and pairs often form anew each year."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Status",
      "body": "BirdLife International lists the mandarin duck as Least Concern (2018) but reports a decreasing trend, mainly through loss of forest in its native range. A feral population descended from escaped ornamental birds now breeds in England and Scotland."
    }
  ],
  "faqs": [
    {
      "question": "Where do mandarin ducks come from?",
      "answer": "From East Asia: the Russian Far East, Korea, Japan and eastern China. Introduced birds also live wild in Britain and parts of Europe."
    },
    {
      "question": "Do mandarin ducks mate for life?",
      "answer": "They are a traditional symbol of lifelong love, but in reality pairs often change from year to year."
    },
    {
      "question": "Do mandarin ducks nest in trees?",
      "answer": "Yes. They nest in tree holes, and the ducklings jump down to the ground after hatching."
    },
    {
      "question": "How long do mandarin ducks live?",
      "answer": "The oldest ringed mandarin in the BTO's records lived 10 years and 4 months."
    }
  ],
  "sourceUpdate": null,
  "evidence": [],
  "conservationStatus": "Least Concern",
  "taxonomy": {
    "kingdom": "Animalia",
    "phylum": "Chordata",
    "class": "Aves",
    "order": "Anseriformes",
    "family": "Anatidae",
    "genus": "Aix"
  },
  "stats": {
    "weightKg": 0.57,
    "lengthM": 0,
    "topSpeedKmh": 0,
    "lifespanYears": 0
  },
  "facts": [
    {
      "label": "Scientific name",
      "value": "Aix galericulata"
    },
    {
      "label": "Diet",
      "value": "Seeds, acorns, water plants, insects and snails"
    },
    {
      "label": "Habitat",
      "value": "Wooded lakes, ponds and rivers"
    },
    {
      "label": "Weight",
      "value": "428–693 g"
    },
    {
      "label": "Oldest ringed bird",
      "value": "10 years 4 months (BTO)"
    },
    {
      "label": "Range",
      "value": "East Asia; introduced to western Europe"
    },
    {
      "label": "Conservation status",
      "value": "Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2018)"
    }
  ],
  "range": {
    "nativeRange": "Russian Far East, north-east China, Korea and Japan; winters in eastern China. Introduced birds breed in Britain and elsewhere in Europe.",
    "continents": [
      "Asia"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "citation": "BirdLife International (2026). Species factsheet: Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata. BirdLife DataZone. Checked 1 November 2026.",
      "url": "https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/mandarin-duck-aix-galericulata"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Animal Diversity Web: Aix galericulata. University of Michigan Museum of Zoology.",
      "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Aix_galericulata/"
    },
    {
      "citation": "BTO BirdFacts: Mandarin Duck. British Trust for Ornithology.",
      "url": "https://www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/mandarin-duck"
    },
    {
      "citation": "Tobias, J. A. et al. (2022). AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. doi:10.1111/ele.13898",
      "url": null
    },
    {
      "citation": "Gill, F., Donsker, D. & Rasmussen, P. (Eds). IOC World Bird List v15.2.",
      "url": "https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/"
    }
  ],
  "lastReviewed": "2026-07-16",
  "canonicalUrl": "https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mandarin-duck/",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY-NC 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/",
    "attribution": "Global Animal Guide — https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/mandarin-duck/",
    "note": "Free to reuse for non-commercial purposes with attribution and a link back to the canonical page."
  }
}