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New Yorkers and holiday visitors to the city from near and far have been flocking to a pond off Fifth Avenue in Central Park for a chance to spot the beautiful, sparkling Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata), and there has been much speculation about how it ended up in a pond in the middle of the bustling city.
But for officials with the Wildlife Conservation Society, the duck's appearance is really not much of a mystery.
"Because of their beauty, Mandarin ducks have long been a favorite among waterfowl breeders and are commonly kept by bird enthusiasts," said Max Pulsinelli, executive director of Communications, WCS Zoos and Aquarium. "The Central Park bird was likely owned by a bird fancier and either was released in or escaped to Central Park."
The WCS, which operates four zoos and an aquarium in New York City, has long since confirmed that the Mandarin duck spotted in Central Park and other locations around the city did not come from one of its zoos.
For those who want a sure way to see a Mandarin duck, this same beautiful species can be observed at the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, and Prospect Park Zoo.
At the Bronx Zoo, there is a male Mandarin duck, living in JungleWorld, an indoor rainforest habitat that features species from across the continent of Asia, Pulsinelli said.
At the Central Park Zoo, Mandarin ducks are in the Tropic Zone and in the Tisch Children’s Zoo.
The Central Park Zoo has a successful breeding program for Mandarin ducks and many other species of waterfowl.
At the Prospect Park Zoo, which has had Mandarin ducks since 2011, there are three males and three females, he said.
Two of these ducks live on a marsh alongside other waterfowl species including Baer’s pochards, hooded mergansers, Sebastopol geese, trumpeter swans, and more. Mandarin ducks are also ambassador animals in the Prospect Park Zoo’s education programs.
Pulsinelli said Mandarin ducks are not endangered in the wild.
"Their native range encompasses much of East Asia including Russia, Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan, with introduced populations in parts of Europe," he said. "They are a popular species in many private ponds. The climate in their native range is similar to that of the Northeastern United States."
For further information about the Central Park Zoo, call 212-439-6500 or visit www.centralparkzoo.com. For info on the Prospect Park Zoo, visit www.prospectparkzoo.com, and click here for info on the Bronx Zoo.
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