These Mandarin Duck were photographed at Arundel on my recent Sussex trip
As its name suggests the Mandarin originated in Western Russia, China and Japan. It was imported to the UK for inclusion in bird collections and for colourful additions to country house lakes. Many escaped and feral breeding populations now exist in different parts of the country, particularly in the south. Ironically this wide-spread exportation coupled with hunting and habitat destruction caused the bird to become endangered in its home lands. Estimates put it that >1000 pairs now exist in China and Russia and about 5000 pairs in Japan. The estimated UK population is now 7000 birds
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