Mandarin duck

Scientific name: Aix galericulata

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Males are spectacularly patterned with iridescent green head, orange facial whiskers, buff-orange breast with purple markings, and elaborate sail-like wing feathers; females are cryptic grey-brown with white eye-ring and spotted flanks. Males weigh 400–500 g, females slightly lighter at 350–450 g; body length 41–49 cm.

Size and weight

Males 410–500 g, 43–49 cm; females 350–430 g, 41–46 cm.

Habitat

Mandarin ducks inhabit slow-moving freshwater systems with dense riparian woodland—small lakes, ponds, and river valleys with overhanging trees and thick understory cover. They prefer lowland to mid-elevation wetlands (typically below 1,500 m) with a mix of open water and mature deciduous or mixed forest.

Distribution

Native to east Asia (eastern Russia, China, Japan, Korea); feral populations now established in Europe and North America from escaped captive birds. In native range, prefers forested wetlands in temperate and subtropical zones.

Diet

Primarily acorns, seeds, and aquatic vegetation; also takes invertebrates (insects, crustaceans) and small fish, with diet shifting toward plant matter in autumn and winter.

Behaviour

Most active at dawn and dusk, spending daylight hours roosting in vegetation or on water; highly vocal with distinctive calls. They are dabbling dabblers that rarely dive, preferring to tip-feed in shallow water or forage on land; pairs remain together year-round.

Hunting tips

Look for droppings and feather sign along muddy banks and shallow margins; fresh tracks appear as neat round prints (webbed) in soft substrates. Approach from downwind through dense cover, moving slowly during low-light periods when birds are active on water; use cover to conceal final stalk. Listen for distinctive whistles and chirps to locate birds, and expect them to flush upward through vegetation rather than running.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 1 country in Huntify.

Norway

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.