Although all wild creatures are eye-catching, there’s nothing as fascinating as the birds are. However, this one is particular is definitely shaking the world of birds with its breathtaking beauty. The mandarin duck – also known as the most adorable bird in the world.
A tiny, yet extremely agile bird, the mandarin duck is always a dazzling presence thanks to its spectacular multi-colored features and its one-of-a-kind shape. Native to East Asia, the exotic birds can be found from large lakes to tiny ponds. They are also present (in small communities) in the UK and Germany, and some have been spotted even in the USA.
While the females have a more common duller grey features, the males plumage is a vibrant mix of colors. Their tiny orange face is covered by a brown neck. The chest is purple with pale bronze on the side, while their backs have two orange ‘sails.’
Surprisingly, at some point the west europeans feared the lakes not to get over populated by these absolutely adorable birds. Their arrival in Europe goes back a few centuries, when the Mandarins brought some from China, but many of them got away and created their own colonies. And since they didn’t have any natural predators, their population started to grow rampantly.
As about their diet, mandarin ducks usually feed themselves with water plants and seed, but they also enjoy small fishes or snails.
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