Duck Mandarin basic information

These ducks are very beautiful ones. The males are more colorful than the females, however. The males have a forehead that is green and it turns a purplish color as you go farther down along the head. The sides of its head are white and the eyes are a buff, or chestnut color. The Mandarin's chest is white and its back is usually a maroon or dark plum color. On its wings, there are two white strips in front and there are bright orange feathers on its inner wings. The female is more muted and is a grayish-brown color and it has a white-eye ring, a lighter belly and a small crest. This is where it is hard to tell the female Mandarin apart from the North America Wood Duck. There is also a mutation of the Mandarin that is becoming fairly popular and that is the White Mandarin. It isn't an albino, but it is sensitive to light and requires much shade.