This beautiful and colorful Mandarin has been living in Colorado for quite some time. He is super friendly and even has a mallard female mate. He hangs with her all the time and has even defended himself against a drake mallard. I’m waiting to see if there will be ducklings that are a cross between Mandarin and Mallard. What would that even look like?? 
Some background information for those looking to learn a little bit more about this beautiful duck. The mandarin duck usually resides in east Asia. It is closely related to the American Wood Duck. The species was once widespread, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest habitat have reduced populations in eastern Russia and China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs. Who knew I would find this duck in Colorado? I guess many people have been importing because of its beauty. This guy either got free or was released into the wild. At least he seems happy, well fed and is living a good life.
