Mandarin ducks, South Korea

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Mandarin ducks

As its name suggests, the mandarin duck comes from East Asia and is arguably one of the most beautiful ducks in the world. We know that the duck at the front of our picture is female because she lacks the brightly coloured feathers of the male and has a distinctive white circle around her eye. After a month of hatching time, the mother urges the ducklings to leap from their nests high up in trees (don’t worry, leaves and grass protect them from the fall) and go to the water. Don’t be surprised if it’s usually a female leading the family swim – the mothers are left to raise up to a dozen ducks while the adult males go off to moult their feathers.

Mandarin ducks are monogamous and mate for life. That’s why they are symbols of love and fidelity, and carvings or illustrations of them are often given to newlyweds in China and Japan.