Mandarin Duck (female)

Description:

I thought this was a female wood duck, but it is a female Mandarin duck!

Habitat:

Stow Lake, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA.

Notes:

The Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), or just Mandarin, is a perching duck species found in East Asia. It is medium-sized, at 41–49 cm long with a 65–75 cm wingspan. As the other member of the genus Aix, it is closely related to the North American wood duck. 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 female is similar to female wood duck, with a white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye, but is paler below, has a small white flank stripe, and a pale tip to its bill. Mandarin ducklings are almost identical in look to wood ducklings, and appear very similar to mallard ducklings. The ducklings can be distinguished from mallard ducklings because the eye-stripe of Mandarin ducklings (and wood ducklings) stops at the eye, while in mallard ducklings it reaches all the way to the bill. Wikipedia