Over 100 Rare Mandarin Ducks Appear in Luoyang

Dahe Daily · Dahe Client reporter Li Man, correspondents Guo Zhun, Ma Chaohong

Recently, at the Yellow River Wetland Management Center in Mengjin County, Luoyang, wildlife epidemic and disease monitoring personnel detected 112 Mandarin ducks during their routine monitoring in the core area of the Yellow River Wetland National Nature Reserve. The appearance of such a large population is very rare.

Mandarin ducks belong to the order Anseriformes and the duck family, a national grade II protected animal and a famous ornamental bird in China. Mandarin ducks have distinct colors between males and females. Male mandarin ducks have beautiful and brilliant feathers, with a crest on their heads and long white eyebrows behind their eyes, as if just made up. Female mandarin ducks have gray-brown heads and upper bodies, with white eye circles and a thin white eyebrow, which is also very striking and unique. On that day in Mengjin Yellow River Wetland, there were pairs of colorful mandarin ducks leisurely playing, chasing, and feeding in the water, swimming side by side, and occasionally emitting low and beautiful calls, as if couples were whispering, adding a unique and beautiful landscape to Mengjin Yellow River Wetland.

In recent years, Mengjin County has continued to promote the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River basin, taking various measures to continuously strengthen wetland protection and restoration, and the ecological environment has improved significantly, and the number and species of birds have increased significantly, with rare birds such as black storks, gray cranes, and white spoonbills appearing in large numbers.