Aix galericulata
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) 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.
The mandarin duck was described and illustrated in 1727 by the German explorer Engelbert Kaempfer in his The History of Japan. He wrote: "Of Ducks also there are several differing kinds, and as tame as the Geese. One kind particularly I cannot forbear mentioning, because of the surprising beauty of its male, call'd Kinmodsui, which is so great, that being shew'd its picture in colours, I could hardly believe my own Eyes, till I saw the... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 2 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 3 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Manas National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Busch Gardens Tampa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Diego Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 6 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | National Zoological Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | ZooParc de Beauval | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | SeaWorld Abu Dhabi | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | |
| 10 | Leipzig Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Zoorasia | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 12 | Dresden Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Kyoto City Zoo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 14 | Parque das Aves | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 15 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 16 | Korkeasaari Zoo | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 17 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 18 | Parc Phœnix | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 19 | Fota Wildlife Park | 🇮🇪 Ireland | |
| 20 | Parc des oiseaux | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 21 | Zoopark Vyškov | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 22 | Южный парк птиц Малинки | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 23 | Zoobotánico Jerez | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 24 | Zoo d'Amiens | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 25 | Nandankanan Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 26 | Zoo Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 27 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 28 | Taipei Zoo | 🇹🇼 Taiwan | |
| 29 | Safari West | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 30 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 31 | Wildlife Safari | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 32 | Hainan Tropical Wildlife Park and Botanical Garden | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 33 | Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden | 🇭🇰 Hong Kong SAR China | |
| 34 | Badoca Safari Park | 🇵🇹 Portugal | |
| 35 | Ramat Gan Safari | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 36 | Beijing Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 37 | 西霞口神雕山野生動物世界 | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 38 | Shanghai Zoo | 🇨🇳 China | |
| 39 | Sedgwick County Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 40 | Cumberland Wildpark Grünau | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 41 | Tehran Birds Garden | 🇮🇷 Iran | |
| 42 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 43 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 44 | Tama Zoological Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 45 | Wildlife World Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 46 | Guadalajara Zoo | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 47 | Novosibirsk Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 48 | Joya Grande | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 49 | Hellabrunn Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 50 | Yerevan Zoo | 🇦🇲 Armenia |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Mandarin Duck sighting in Seoul on a given day, based on 1,271 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 38th most-seen of the 231 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Mandarin Duck in Seoul on a given day, against about 10% in May–July, September–October and December–January, the lowest months. That is one of Seoul's driest months, with about 35 mm of rain against 360 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Mandarin Duck sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
10th of 62
Of the 62 cities where we can rate Mandarin Duck sightings, Seoul ranks 10th at about 20%. The best odds are in Gwangju (South Korea, about 60%), Warsaw (Poland, about 30%) and Beijing (China, about 30%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Mandarin Duck that you can see in Seoul (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Eastern Spot-billed Duck (about 50%), Mallard (about 50%) and Eurasian Teal (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mandarin Duck is recorded against all the birds logged in Seoul (1,271 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
