As its name suggests, the Mandarin duck comes from East Asia and is arguably one of the most beautiful ducks in the world. The ornate waterfowl became established in other regions following escapes from captivity, and a handful of small, isolated populations exist in the US. This fall, a Mandarin duck made headlines and blazed across social media when it appeared in New York City’s Central Park. The bird attracted crowds of onlookers hoping for a glimpse and a photo, while debates raged on how the bird may have ended up so far from its native territory. But Paul Sweet from the American Museum of Natural History"s Department of Ornithology explains on the Gothamist blog that ‘the black cable tie on its right tarsus clearly mark it as an escapee.’ Well done, lovely Mandarin!
A bird of beauty
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Old Town Quito
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Total solar eclipse
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Buddha in the roots of a tree, Ayutthaya, Thailand
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Satellite image of sand and seaweed in the Bahamas
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American goldfinch
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D-Day remembered
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Giving Tuesday
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Kangaroo family for National Hugging Day
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Wandering Watkins Glen
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Old Town in Prague, Czech Republic
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Feast of the Donkey
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Brown bears in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska
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A notorious gunfight that was incorrectly named
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In Texas, even the riverbend is big
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Fiddlehead fern fronds
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Mute swans
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World Turtle Day
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Replica of a Viking home in Dublin National Botanic Gardens, Ireland
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Womens History Month
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The largest American bison around
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The story of a rediscovered redwood
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What s better than a smile?
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The forecast calls for blooms
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Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park
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Kiteboarding and windsurfing in Croatia
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A long, erratic commute
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Mekong River Delta, Long An, Vietnam
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Happy anniversary to the National Park Service!
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Let s crack the code
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Summer’s in home stretch