Attendance Behavior of Mandarin Duck Males

Abstract

During the breeding seasons from 2005 to 2014, 12 females of the Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata which used three nests were observed in Hokkaido, Japan. During the incubation period, females leaving their nests to forage in the early morning and the evening were often accompanied by males when returning to their nests. The male attendance finished from mid-May to mid-June, whereas the fledging dates fluctuated from late May to late June.