The Mandarin Duck is a relative of the Wood Duck, common in North America:
However, the Mandarin Duck is more endangered than our familiar American duck friend. They are not a species of endangered status, but are being watched. Fortunately, these ducks have a gross taste, so aren't hunted for food by humans. They have a few wild predators, but their endangerment results mostly from habitat loss.
These ducks are very unique as far as behavior. The male courts a female, and the pair tends to stay together from breeding season to breeding season, much like the patterns of the penguin. The Mandarin Duck males even keep watch over the babies. Because of this devotion, the Mandarin Duck is considered a symbol of love, happiness, and marital fidelity in China and Japan. And, of course, we can marvel at the beauty of the duck, especially the male, with its brilliant colors. I think it's more beautiful than our common wood duck. I wish we had wild ones here, but the closest ones are in parts of the UK.
Now, of course, what's cuter than the Mandarin Ducklings? It makes them even more precious knowing how much their parents care about them and how much effort they put into raising them. The ducklings are raised in a high tree hole to be safe from predators. But when it is time to head to the water, the ducklings have to jump out of the tree after their mom because they can't yet fly, and they land on the soft ground with a painless bounce. After that, they have a precarious mile long walk to the nearest water source. You will see why these ducklings are one of my favorite animals after watching this video, from Planet Earth (what else?):
http://dailydoseofcute.net/video/mandarin-ducklings-leaping-from-a-tree-video/
Now you can see why these peculiar ducks are one of my favorite animals, and maybe one of yours too!
