Mandarin Duck

The male Mandarin Duck is among the most ornate waterfowl, with orange sail-shaped wing feathers, a broad white eye stripe, reddish bill and a mixture of green, purple, chestnut and cream plumage. Females are grey-brown with a white eye ring and trailing stripe. Both sexes are compact, long-tailed perching ducks with strong claws suited to resting on branches (Wikipedia, general species account).

Mandarin Ducks favour wooded lakes, ponds and slow rivers. They dabble for seeds and aquatic plants, forage ashore for acorns, and take invertebrates seasonally. The female nests in a tree cavity, sometimes well above the ground; newly hatched ducklings leap down and follow her to water. Native across eastern Asia, the species is resident or locally migratory in Japan and also has introduced populations elsewhere (Wikipedia, general species account).