Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)

Dulwich Park pond 11/4/11

As the name suggests this duck derives from the east, Russia, China and Japan to be specific. The population in Britain derives from escaped captives and is currently estimated, by the RSPB to stand at about 7,000 pairs. These ducks are quite common in Britain and don’t attract much attention from birders but actually Britain’s Mandarin population may actually prove quite important as numbers in the east are low. As you can see, this pair were mating or as the imaginative mother standing next to me replied when her child asked what they were doing; ‘He’s keeping his wings dry’. I think the male owns some of the most spectacular plumage you’ll see on a bird in Britain. They are quite common in ponds in South England and London