🦜Mandarin Duck & Wood Duck

Neither mandarin nor wood duck are native species, but both are regularly found and feral breeding occurs. Males should be very straightforward to identify, but females are remarkably similar to each other and betray the fact that, despite originating on different continents, these two species are actually closely related. Both are tree-hole nesters and are most often found in quiet, still waters, with ample vegetation surrounding and overhanging. By far the most common and most likely to be encountered is mandarin. Individuals can turn up anywhere, and I have come across breeding mandarins on canals and recently escaped birds feeding with park ducks in towns. Originating from Eastern Asia, mandarin are one of the most popular ducks in captivity. Birds regularly escape, or are released, and there has long been an established, ferally breeding population in the UK and Ireland, with an estimated 7,000 birds, with well-known hotspots in Surrey, Berkshire and the Forest of Dean. They are medium-sized, compact ducks, and the males must rate as one of the most beautiful of all birds, a glorious confection of orange, purple, green, black and white, and pretty much every other colour as well. The duck's most noticeable features are the large orange flanks and the large orange sails over their backs. The huge maned head with large white head patch and a bright, plain pink beak with a paler nail are also obvious. There are colour forms in captivity, including an almost white one, although I have never seen one of these at liberty. The shape of the bird would be all you need should you encounter one. The female is far plainer, principally a pale grey-brown. The head is smaller, but similarly maned, and mirrors the shape of the males. The grey gradually fades to white under the chin and throat, and the most obvious feature is a white eyeliner, neatly surrounding the eye and with a long, arching eye-stripe behind, somewhat reminiscent of ancient Egyptian eye-make-up. The body is dark, but the flanks are strikingly pale-spotted. Wood duck is far less common, but is equally as likely to be found on town ponds feeding with park ducks. Only five to ten pairs are known to breed in the UK, and there almost certainly isn't a self-perpetuating population, as numbers are frequently supplemented with releases and escapes. Native to North America, where it is sometimes known as the Carolina wood duck, the bird's name gives more of a clue to its preferred habitat. It is slightly bigger than a mandarin, and wood ducks share a similar shape and also have that mane on the back of the head, although they lack the full, buffle-shaped head and whiskers of mandarin. Males are stunning if somewhat more subdued and well-camouflaged in their favoured dappled shade, being predominantly dark metallic green and purplish-brown, with complex black and white stripes. The dark green head has a complex web of white markings, and the flanks that are orange in mandarin are an obvious pale yellowy ochre. The reddish bill has black surroundings and a black nail. Females share the same grey patterning as mandarin, but in order to identify lone individuals, you will need to focus on the following features. The white eye patch is much larger, more of a patch than eyeliner, and it's uneven in its outline. The white chin and throat have a harsh, distinct border, rather than fading gradually in. And the shape where the bill meets the face is different. In mandarin, the beak ends in a straight line along the cheek. In wood duck, the upper edge extends in, and the cheek feathers bulge down. And this leads to an obvious point, pointing towards the eye at the top of the beak. In all plumages, this is probably the most reliable feature to separate the two species. Female wood duck flanks are spotted, but nowhere near as distinctly as on mandarin, and this leads to a more overall dark impression.