Mandarin Duck Facts You Need to Know

What does a mandarin duck look like? Mandarin ducks are known for their vivid coloring. They're waddling little rainbows of red, orange, purple, blue and green, and if you look closely, you can spot some burgundy highlights as well.In an interesting twist, only the males of the species have this eye-popping plumage. The females are mostly gray and white.Another distinctive feature of the mandarin duck is the presence of sails on its back. These are actually large, upright feathers, but they look so much like the sails of a boat that the comparison is unavoidable.