Mandarinduck April by Leif Sohlman Photograph by Leif Sohlman

Mandarinduck April by Leif Sohlman

by Leif Sohlman

Canvas Print

$70

Framed Print

$79

Art Print

$23

Poster

$23

Metal Print

$76

Acrylic Print

$84

Wood Print

$56

Throw Pillow

$27

Tote Bag

$24

Greeting Card

$5.00

iPhone Case

$32

Coffee Mug

$14

Title

Mandarinduck April by Leif Sohlman

Artist

Leif Sohlman

Medium

Photograph - Photo Photography

Description

Mandarinduck in the harbour of Enk�ping, Sweden, the 4:th of april 2014.
Canon 5D mk III
The adult male is a striking and unmistakable bird. It has a red bill, large white crescent above the eye and reddish face and "whiskers". The breast is purple with two vertical white bars, and the flanks ruddy, with two orange "sails" at the back. The female is similar to female Wood Duck, with a white eye-ring and stripe running back from the eye, but is paler below, has a small white flank stripe, and a pale tip to its bill.[2] The Mandarin ducklings are almost identical in look to Wood ducklings, and appear very similar to Mallard ducklings. The ducklings can be distinguished from Mallard ducklings because the eye-stripe of Mandarin ducklings (and Wood ducklings) stops at the eye, while in Mallard ducklings it reaches all the way to the bill.[
The Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata), or just Mandarin, is a medium-sized, East Asian perching duck, closely related to the North American Wood Duck. It is 41�49 cm long with a 65�75 cm wingspan.
In the wild, Mandarin Ducks breed in densely wooded areas near shallow lakes, marshes or ponds. They nest in cavities in trees close to water and during the spring, the females lay their eggs in the tree's cavity after mating. A single clutch of nine to twelve eggs is laid in April or May. Although the male may defend the brooding female and his eggs during incubation, he himself does not incubate the eggs and leaves before they hatch. Shortly after the ducklings hatch, their mother flies to the ground and coaxes the ducklings to leap from the nest. After all of the ducklings are out of the tree, they will follow their mother to a nearby body of water. The Asian populations are migratory, overwintering in lowland eastern China and southern Japan.[citation needed]
Mandarin Ducks are referred to by the Chinese as Yuan-yang (simplified Chinese: 鸳鸯; traditional Chinese: 鴛鴦; pinyin: yuān yāng), where yuan (鴛) and yang (鴦) respectively stand for male and female Mandarin Ducks.

In traditional Chinese culture, Mandarin Ducks are believed to be lifelong couples, unlike other species of ducks. Hence they are regarded as a symbol of conjugal affection and fidelity, and are frequently featured in Chinese art.

A Chinese proverb for loving couples uses the Mandarin Duck as a metaphor: "Two mandarin ducks playing in water" (simplified Chinese: 鸳鸯戏水; traditional Chinese: 鴛鴦戲水; pinyin: yuān yāng x� shuǐ). The Mandarin Duck symbol is also used in Chinese weddings because in traditional Chinese lore, they symbolize wedded bliss and fidelity.

Because the male and female plumages of the Mandarin Duck are so unalike, yuan-yang is frequently used colloquially in Cantonese to mean an "odd couple" or "unlikely pair" � a mixture of two different types of same category. For example, the drink yuanyang and yuan-yang fried rice

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