Mandarin Duck vs Cinnamon Teal
Aix galericulata compared with Spatula cyanoptera
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Mandarin Duck | Cinnamon Teal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Aix galericulata | Spatula cyanoptera |
| Order | Anseriformes | Anseriformes |
| Family | Anatidae | Anatidae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 44.0 cm (17.3 in) | — |
| Wingspan | 70.0 cm (27.6 in) | 37.5 cm (14.8 in) |
| Weight | 570.0 g (20.11 oz) | 406.25 g (14.33 oz) |
| Diet | Seeds, acorns, grains, aquatic plants, insects, snails, and small fish. Forages by dabbling, walking, and … | Eats seeds, aquatic plants, and invertebrates; dabbles in wetland shallows; broadly omnivorous diet varies with … |
| Clutch Size | 7-14 | 4-16 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Mandarin Duck
Wooded lakes, rivers, and ponds surrounded by dense forest. Unlike most ducks, regularly perches in trees and nests in tree cavities.
Cinnamon Teal
Freshwater and brackish marshes, ponds, and shallow lakes with emergent vegetation in western North America and wintering in Central and South America. Uses seasonal wetlands and agricultural ponds.
Song & Call Comparison
Mandarin Duck
Male gives a low whistled 'hib' or 'weep'. Female utters a soft quacking 'kek'. Generally quiet and secretive. No loud territorial song; vocalizations subtle and brief.
Cinnamon Teal
Male produces a high, whistled peep; female gives a soft quacking rattle. The male's bright whistle punctuates North American and South American wetland dawns during migration.
Geographic Range & Migration
Mandarin Duck
Native to East Asia including eastern Russia, China, Japan, and Korea. Feral populations established in Britain and western Europe.
Cinnamon Teal
Breeds in Arctic Canada and Alaska; winters on sea ice and coasts of the North Atlantic and North Pacific.
Conservation Status
Mandarin Duck
Cinnamon Teal
How to Tell Them Apart
Mandarin Duck
Breeding males have an elaborate pattern of orange, green, white, and purple with distinctive orange sail feathers on the back. Females are grey-brown with a white eye-ring and stripe.
Small red bill in breeding males, pinkish in females
Cinnamon Teal
Males striking; deep cinnamon-red head and body with dark brown back. Red eye. Pale blue forewing and green speculum. Females mottled brown with pale blue forewing. Bill spatulate. Dimorphic western …
About These Birds
Mandarin Duck
The mandarin duck is widely considered the most beautiful duck in the world. In East Asian culture, mandarin ducks symbolize love and fidelity because they form strong pair bonds. Unlike most ducks, mandarins nest in tree holes up to 9 meters above the ground, and day-old ducklings must leap to the ground.
Cinnamon Teal
A small duck. Males are brilliant all-over cinnamon-red with a bright blue-grey wing patch and red eye; females are mottled brown. Found in western North America and South America. Breeds in western United States and winters in Central America and South America.