Mandarin Duck
Aix galericulata

f6.3 @ 1/600s, ISO:1600, Nikon D300S w 500mm

\"Mandarin Duck,\" Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata), or just Mandarin, is a medium-sized, East Asian perching duck, closely related to the North American Wood Duck. It is 41–49 cm long with a 65–75 cm wingspan. The adult male is a striking and unmistakable bird. It has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and \"whiskers\". The breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, with two orange \"sails\" at the back. The species was once widespread in eastern Asia, but large-scale exports and the destruction of its forest habitat have reduced populations in eastern Russia and in China to below 1,000 pairs in each country; Japan, however, is thought to still hold some 5,000 pairs.

Tokyo, Japan

02/15/2012