The
Mandarin Duck is native to China & widely regarded as the world’s most
beautiful duck. It’s stunning multicolored plumage
has long made it an artists’ favorite. It is a perching duck (able to fly & negotiate
trees), closely related to the North American Wood Duck. The female lays her
eggs in a tree cavity and, after hatching, ducklings soon jump to the ground
where their mom leads them to water.
A
trumpeter Swan enjoys a leisurely swim on the grounds of Connecticut Waterfowl
Trust. The trumpeter is the largest
living bird native to North America with a wingspan exceeding 10 feet. This
bird, originally from Europe was hunted nearly to extinction in the 1800’s and by
1933 only 70 in the wild remained!
Careful re-introduction & conservation by wildlife agencies restored
the population.
Barrow Golden Eye Duck: A
medium-sized black-and-white diving duck, the Barrow's Goldeneye is originally from
Iceland. It is, however, primarily a duck of the western mountains of North
America & Canada. The drake sports a crescent shaped white patch on the
side of his face & has golden yellow eyes. The female is chocolate brown. He can live until 18 years
of age.
