Lovely pair of Mandarin ducks - a photo on Flickriver

            The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is a perching duck species native to the East Palearctic. 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, 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. The adult male has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and whiskers. The male's breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, and he has two orange sails at the back (large feathers that stick up like boat sails). The female is similar to the female wood duck, with a white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye, but is paler below, 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 the mating season into eclipse plumage. When in eclipse plumage, the male looks similar to the female, but can be told apart 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 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. The species 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. 58239
   

Taken in: Australia / ACT / Curtin (show map)

Taken on: April 15, 2021

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Australian Capital Territory zoo

canon 5D iv « less

Sets appears in: • autumn • April more » • 2021 • canon 5D Mark iv • canon 100-400mm L is ii • Australian Capital Territory zoo • mandarin duck • orange « less

Groups appears in: • Canon 100-400 IS II • Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, f/5.0, 1/200 sec, 200mm, ISO 2500 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens:	EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
Aperture:	f/5.0
Exposure Time:	0.005 sec (1/200)
Focal Length:	200mm
ISO:	2500
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Manual
Exposure Mode:	Manual
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic 12.0.1 (Windows)
Show full info

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