Author: Jiansan (Hebei Huailai)
Ruddy Shelduck is a cold temperate migratory bird, but it is different from migratory birds and left-behind migratory birds, they do not make long-distance migrations, but choose different habitats in different seasons to adapt to climate change and food supply.
Shy by nature, these ducks usually choose to rest in flocks in the evening in the grass and bushes in water bodies such as rivers, lakes and swamps.
Shelducks are migratory birds in most parts of the mainland, but in parts of the west, including Zhangjiakou, they are resident birds.
Around the wetland of the Guanting Reservoir, ruddy shelducks can be seen all year round. Here, it should be a veritable resident bird!
In ancient times, the mandarin duck was the current ruddy shelduck, and the original name of the "mandarin duck" that everyone used to call was the emeral, and it became the "mandarin duck" in the praise.
In ancient times, people praised the ruddy shelduck not only for its beautiful color and beautiful flight posture, but also for its special habit of being in pairs.
Because the ruddy duck strictly follows the "monogamy" system, once the courtship is successful, it will live in pairs, inseparable, and stay together for life, and the white head has the beauty of "growing old together", symbolizing that the love bird is well deserved, so it was called the mandarin duck in ancient times, and the mandarin duck is the male bird, and the duck refers to the female bird.
In fact, mandarin ducks do not follow the traditional "monogamy" system, male mandarin ducks will courtship multiple female mandarin ducks during breeding, and there are also many males courting the same female, and even occasionally "homosexuality" phenomenon. After successful courtship, the mandarin ducks do build nests together to raise children, but after the breeding period is over, the male mandarin ducks will change into a gray feather similar to the female mandarin duck, and wait for the next breeding season to disguise themselves and grow colorful feathers to find a new mate.
It is a male ruddy shelduck with a black collar at the base of the lower neck during the breeding season, which is the characteristic mark of the male.
Ruddy shelduck is always accompanied by male and female, tacit cooperation. When the female enters the incubation period after laying eggs, the eggs are incubated by the female alone, when leaving the nest to forage, the eggs are covered with down feathers to keep warm, and the male bird goes out together, and the female bird continues to incubate the eggs, and the male bird is on guard near the nest for protection.
Ruddy Shelduck only asks for occasional success, and will live in pairs for life, which is a veritable lovebird!
2024.05.14
Editor: Niu Yixin/Li Xunxiu/Song Zhanlin, Editorial Department of Qingyanwei Literature