Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulata

The mandarin duck is a perching duck species native to East and Northeast Asia. It is sexually dimorphic; the males are elaborately coloured, while the females have more subdued colours. It is a medium-sized duck, at 41–49 cm (16–19 in) long with a 65–75 cm (26–30 in) wingspan. It is closely related to the North American wood duck, the only other member of the genus Aix. 'Aix' is an Ancient Greek word which was used by Aristotle to refer to an unknown diving bird, and 'galericulata' is the Latin for a wig, derived from galerum, a cap or bonnet. Outside of its native range, the mandarin duck has a large introduced population in the British Isles and Western Europe, with additional smaller introductions in North America. Source
Where it is now
In the last 8 weeks this bird was recorded 1,185 times across 23 areas (each area is a 5 degree square).
See the Mandarin Duck on the live map
Movement and weather
Over the weeks it was present in the past year, its centre in Europe ranged from 54°N in November to 67°N in August, about 1,500 km apart.
Arrival dates
The week it was first heard regularly in each region, after at least six weeks away. Dates differ from south to north, so a region has a range.
| Region | First arrival | Last arrival | Typical peak | Areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | 1 December 2025 | 31 August 2026 | 23 February 2026 | 2 |
| Asia | 12 January 2026 | 12 January 2026 | 23 March 2026 | 1 |
Figures are effort corrected and come from automatic sound identification, which makes mistakes. How this is measured and how it compares with human observers.