Ruoergai Yellow River Grassland as a key point and important transit station for migratory birds, in early March every year, will usher in more than ten species of migratory birds such as black-necked cranes, spotted geese, diving ducks, white bone tops, etc., and the red ma duck is a common migratory bird on the Ruoergai Yellow River grassland, with a relatively rich population.
Red ma ducks are migratory birds that migrate in groups from the wintering ground to late October to early November when the snow and ice of the Ruoergai Yellow River Steppe first melt, and only move to the wintering ground from late October to early November. Now when you come to the Ruoerge Yellow River Grassland, you can see the red mallard ducks moving in clusters in the wetlands.
The red hemp duck is a national second-class protected animal, the whole body of the reddish brown male head is brownish white, the female bird's head and head side are almost white, which is very in line with the Description of the Mandarin Duck in the Southern Song Dynasty "Erya Wing": "Its size is as big as a crane, its quality is apricot yellow, the head wears white long hairs, hanging to the tail, and the tail and wings are black." ”
Although the white hair on the head of the red hemp duck does not "hang to the tail", the red hemp duck is likely to be the earliest certified mandarin duck by the ancients. In many ancient poems, the characteristics of the "white head" of the Mandarin duck were highlighted, and the figure of the red hemp duck could often be seen on the Tang Dynasty murals of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, and the white-headed Mandarin duck was accompanied by male and female, and Gu Pan was affectionate.
Perhaps it is precisely because the white head of the red hemp duck gives people the expectation of beautiful love, resulting in the association of "a hundred years of old age", so there are poems describing love such as "laughing mandarin duck qi, mandarin duck two white heads" and so on. However, later, the red duck lost its hand with the word "Mandarin Duck", and the Purple Mandarin Duck came to the fore with its gorgeous appearance, gradually replacing the Red Horse Duck and becoming the Mandarin Duck in the public impression.
The red ma duck is mainly vegetarian, and the young grass buds, roots, leaves, grass seeds, and aquatic plants on the Yellow River grassland in Ruoerge are its favorite foods. A variety of insects, crustaceans, frogs, shrimp molluscs are also on their foraging list.
Their predation look is very cute - gently floating on the surface of the water, with the ups and downs of the lake, suddenly keenly aware that there are fish swaying their tails under the water, so they flicked their webs twice, their heads down to the water, their butts facing the sky, and they caught the fish.
When the red mallard flies, the black feathers, tail, mouth and feet, the yellow-brown body feathers and the white upper and lower wing coverts form a sharp contrast, and every feather and hair of the body shines in the sun, and the reflection on the lake is very beautiful.
In the Huahu Eco-tourism Area, looking around, the lake is full of blue waves, seemingly calm, but the waves are like a whirlpool at the bottom of the lake. The red mallard crosses the water, and then takes off and disappears into the sky, which further sets off the wide eco-tourism area of Huahu Lake, and all kinds of water bird creatures make people feel the vitality of Ruoerge.
Red ma duck is a migratory bird, has a high demand for the migratory living environment, like the Ruoerge Yellow River grassland appeared in the hundred scale of red hemp duck population is very rare, which is also the result of the continuous improvement of the ecological environment here.