Mandarin Aix galericulata   [Linnaeus, 1758]

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   Page updated:16-January-2013

Order: Anseriformes Family: Anatidae
BTO Codes: MN, MANDA EURING No: 1780
Number in Britain: 7000 adults (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK: Not Assessed
European: Not evaluated
Global: (Details)
Links to: Images   Videos   Sound  
Status in UK: (C1)  Introduced Breeder
Subspecies: Monotypic
.
Length: 45 cm Wingspan: 71 cm Weight: M: 630 g   F: 520 g    
Scientific name from: Gr.: Aix=a diving bird described by Aristotle and L.: galerus=a skull-cap
World Distribution: e Asia, INTRODUCED: Britain
Habitat: Wooded ponds, marshes
Diet: Mostly plant material, also invertebrates, esp land snails and insects
TitBit: The nine levels of Chinese the Chinese Civil Service were named after birds, Mandarins were the 7th level, and it was these who dealt with British traders in China, hence the term for any bureaucrat.  

Population and Distribution

Population Trend: No population trend available
Distribution: Atlas Maps   
British Population Size:
    Summer: 7000 adults in 1970-87
    Winter: 7000 individuals in 2004-09     Note: Best estimate
    First Record: Berkshire, 1866 [Fossil evidence from Middle Pleistocene, c. 500,000 yr ago]
    First Breeding Record: Introduced Surrey, earlier attempts since 1850s 1928
    Conservation Status:
   Previous Assessments: 2002-2007 Not Assessed     1996-2001 Not Assessed  
   Races of Concern:
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
    No habitat data from BBS
European Population Size:
    Summer: Unavailable
Distribution in Europe mapped by the EBCC Atlas
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of: WCA(IX)
Survey Results: Results from BirdTrack

Breeding and Survival

Egg Size: 51 x 37 mm Egg Weight: 41.0 g (of which 9 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records: 16
Clutch Size: 9 - 12 eggs
Incubation: 28- 30 days   by the: Female
Fledging: 40 - 45days as: Precocial, downy
First Clutches Laid: Unavailable
Number of Broods: 1
Number Ringed: Annual Totals
Adult Survival: No data
Juvenile Survival: No data
Age at First Breeding: 1 year Typical Lifespan: No data
Maximum Recorded Age: 10 years 4 months 25 days (set in 1999)
Read a summary of Ringing Recoveries

Biometrics

Ring Size: F*
Wing Length Adult: 234.7 ± 8.3     Range 211.0 - 261.0 mm, (N = 230)
Juvenile: 229.5 ± 9.2     Range 199.0 - 247.0 mm, (N = 48)
Male: 239.7 ± 8.5     Range 215.0 - 258.0 mm, (N = 105)
Female: 230.9 ± 5.9     Range 211.0 - 261.0 mm, (N = 125)
Weight Adult: 623.6 ± 64.89 Range 485.0 - 875.0 g , (N =188)
Juvenile: Insufficient Data
Male: 648.0 ± 52.97 Range 500.0 - 850.0 g , (N =85)
Female: 603.5 ± 69.94 Range 485.0 - 875.0 g , (N =103)
Seasonal: Summer 610.4 ± 84.20 (N = 76)   Autumn 637.6 ± 65.39 (N = 59)   Winter 640.7 ± 71.36 (N = 84)  
Source: British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data

Other Names

Mandarin Duck
Gaelic: Welsh: Hwyaden gribog
Danish: Mandarinand Dutch: Mandarijneend
Finnish: Mandariinisorsa French: Canard mandarin
German: Mandarinente Hungarian: Mandarinréce
Icelandic: Mandarínönd Irish: Lacha Mhandrach
Italian: Anatra mandarina Norwegian: Mandarinand
Polish: Mandarynka Portuguese: Pato-mandarim
Spanish: Pato mandarín Swedish: Mandarinand

For More Information...

Books and Monographs:
   Savage, C. 1952 The Mandarin Duck A&C Black, London
   Lever, C. 1990 The Mandardin Duck Shire Publications, Princes Risborough [Jour: S]
   Shurtleff, L. 1996 The wood duck and the mandarin : the northern wood ducks California UP, Berkeley [598.482 SHU]
See Also:
Find scientific papers on Google Scholar or Scirus by clicking the icon
Wikipedia entry
BirdLife species page
Recent sightings and information from BirdGuides
Read State of the Nations Birds by Chris Mead