All winter, there’s been one bird that Arley and I have wanted to see more than any other: the mandarin duck. We had hoped they’d visit our neighborhood lake, but now with green hints of spring budding on every tree branch, we knew time was running out and they’d get harder to find. We needed to go looking.
With the help of EBird (a citizen data app used to log bird sightings), we researched where the mandarin duck had last been spotted near us. Some had been seen at Shinjuku Gyoen, a national park in the middle of Tokyo, so we hopped on a train the next morning to visit the park. As we walked through the gates, we were transported out of the concrete jungle and into a garden forest. And there they were! A small flock of polychromatic ducks huddled together in the lake shore across from us.
Latin name: Aix galericulata | Japanese Name: オシドリ (oshidori)
Size: 41-51cm
Range: Mandarin ducks are one of two duck species that can be seen year-round in mainland Japan. During breeding season, they can also be found in regions around northeast China, and in the winter, some populations migrate to southeast China and Taiwan.
Diet: They eat nuts, grains, aquatic plants, and small animals like frogs, snails, bugs, and fish.
Habitat: You’ll find mandarin ducks in various bodies of water surrounded by dense forests. They like to nest in tree hollows (including old woodpecker holes) close to the water and up to 15m above the ground.
Cultural tidbit: In Japanese, the term oshidori fufu (oshidori = “mandarin duck” and fufu = “married couple”) describes a happily married couple. The way these ducks cuddle up in pairs is quite cute, and it's easy to imagine how this phrase came about. In reality, although mandarin ducks are monogamous (meaning that they have one mate at a time), their bond only lasts until their eggs are ready to hatch. They typically change mates each breeding season.
For this post, we consulted Cornell Lab and Kevin Short’s Nature in Tokyo.
We love your artwork, Emmy
love!!!