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This week, local residents have spotted these mysterious, rainbow-coloured ducks appearing on the lake, in the early hours of the day. These birds are in fact Mandarin Ducks, a very distinctive looking species of waterbird.
Carol Anderson, a local bird lover has given a statement on the first time she spotted them, here:
“Last year on the lake at Tooting Common I saw 15 female mandarin ducks but no male ducks. However, when I saw the post on friends of Tooting common of a local resident spotting them at the lake this week, I had to check it out. So, this morning I was in my element when the male and female came over to get some food. They are beautiful and it was lovely seeing them they arrive around 7.45 to 8.00 this morning.”
As you can see in the lovely image Carol took on the day, the males and females of this species look very different. This is due to sexual dimorphism, where the males and females of a species exhibit very different characteristics, such as plumage colour. Often males are more strikingly coloured, to attract females- like in this species!
Mandarin ducks are not native to the UK. They are originally from China and have established population numbers in the UK mainly from individuals escaping captivity.
They eat insects, vegetation, and seeds, and unlike most other waterbird species, they nest in trees. Because of this, they love lakes with overhanging trees and branches- just like ours on the Common!
These birds are shy, so it is a real treat to spot them! To help protect this species, we should give them space, leave the surrounding trees of our lake undisturbed and monitor and record their presence in the area, so that organisations like the London Wildlife Trust can research their population trends.
A big thank you to Carol for submitting this story and providing a beautiful picture to go with it!
If you are interested in finding out a bit more about this species, have a look here: https://www.wildlondon.org.uk/wildlife-explorer/birds/waterfowl/mandarin-duck?fbclid=IwAR2Js2WsnorP-yhM_rihKiTgFuS7TPLbateDHfHINLYpcpFp9iuzD5o7LJg