Where the mandarin duck lives. Features of its existence in nature

Perhaps, one of the most beautiful creations of the animal world is the mandarin duck. This charming creature weighing up to 700 grams strikes the eye with an unusual body shape and a bright color of plumage - a generous gift of Nature.

Duck-mandarin duck - a charming creation of Nature

The duck got its name for coloring, and also in honor of an important, chicly dressed Chinese official - mandarin. In the plumage of these birds are collected and originally distributed all the colors of the rainbow. Males, like true gentlemen, stand out among the modest elegant ladies with a chic tuft on their head formed by elongated feathers and sideburns. Like their relatives, mandarin ducks change their attire twice a year. Drains during moulting gather in large schools, trying not to get out of thickets of bushes, and practically do not differ from their girlfriends. Therefore, at the moment of molting it is difficult to accurately determine the place where the mandarin duck lives. What is it interesting? What is so special about a little bird that attracts genuine interest and sincere curiosity to it?

Features of a mandarin duck

The mandarin duck is characterized by excellent maneuverability and high flight speed: it can fly up in a matter of seconds. Also it is characterized by the speed of swimming and yurkost. The favorite place where a mandarin duck lives (photo) is the trees hanging over the water or rock outcroppings.

Often she sits high on the water with a funny raised tail and dives only in case of possible injury.

This bird is widespread in East Asia and some regions of Russia, namely, in the Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, on Sakhalin and in the Amur Region. Zimovka ducky arranges in China and Japan. In connection with a rapidly declining population, this species of birds is listed in the Red Book. Since most hunters are not able to distinguish a mandarin woman from her usual relatives during the period of dropping of bright bridal dresses by males, hunting for it is simply forbidden. Very duck-mandarin duck from raccoon dogs, ruthlessly ruining their nests. Also, the cause of population decline is hypothermia, which contributes to the death of chicks. It is difficult to determine where the mandarin duck lives in the face of dangers at every step. It is established that the surviving specimens are trying to survive, inhabited in impenetrable taiga ducts and buried in windbreaks by the elderly.

Where does the mandarin duck live?

Nests duck-mandarin duck in tree hollows at different heights, sometimes reaching 10 meters. On the ground this bird lives on quite rarely, as rocky ledges and branches of trees, where the mandarin duck lives, is much safer and more comfortable for her. In the masonry, usually 7 to 14 eggs are observed, which the female hatchs for about 32 days, without leaving a nest for a minute.

The nestlings are whimsical and highly sensitive to low temperatures. As a rule, hatching, they jump out of the nest on their own, and their height does not frighten them, and the fall ends safely. Since the birth of the kids, almost immediately begin to swim and dive. This happens under close maternal supervision throughout the summer period.

Since wildlife has a disastrous effect on the survival of ducks, where the maximum lifespan does not exceed 10 years, people have adapted to plant mandarins at home as decorative birds. With proper care and rationally selected meals in a relaxed home environment, she can live for 25 years.

In the warm period, it is easy to artificially create conditions similar to the places where the mandarin duck lives. The bird can be kept in checkered enclosures, equipped with different heights by perches, sticking branches and containers with water. At the onset of cold weather, it is better to replace the outdoors with warmed rooms. Mandarin ducks are friendly to the rest of the birds, living with them on the same territory, so they can be safely released into the pond together with another bird. Pure water is precisely their element, which delivers a sea of pleasure. After bathing for ducks-tangerines is a favorite occupation both in summer and in winter.

What does the mandarin duck eat?

Favorite food is mandarin orange - frogs and acorns, although in the diet there are fish, beetles, water plants, rice grains. At home maintenance it is necessary to include in the diet wheat bran, barley, oatmeal, corn, herbal and fish flour, chalk. In a season it is necessary to include in a food greens: the crushed leaves of a plantain, a salad, a dandelion, a water duckweed.

Mandarin duckling is a symbol of conjugal fidelity, happy and mutual love; The female and the male are always together, they even take off at the same time. The partner chooses this bird once in a life and, having separated from it, can die from loneliness. This devotion to each other has made them a symbol of love and faithfulness, which is reflected in the works of many authors: embroidery on silk, appliqués, engravings, vases and mosaics.

Duck-mandarin duck - a symbol of fidelity and conjugal happiness

In olden days, the offering to the newlyweds of the picture with the depicted mandarins was a tradition prophesying a happy family life. For centuries, these ducks adorned the parks of Korea and Japan, and to afford to maintain such an exotic luxury was affordable only to wealthy people.

There is a beautiful legend about these dots. One Chinese gentleman, having decided to part with his wife, was contemplating this serious step on a walk along the lake shore. At one point his reflections were interrupted by two mandarin dots, which sat on the water. Admiring them, their gentle and caressing and loving behavior, the gentleman remembered the wonderful moments of his family life, and the faded love flared up again. Thus, the ducks rescued a nearly ruined marriage.