Our Celebrity Mandarin Duck at the Pond

So our fickle New York City media have decided that Mandy the Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) is the "most handsome" duck around and worthy of a spot on the local CBS news and in other media outlets (including The Times).

Mandy the Mandarin Duck, the Pond, Central Park, October 28, 2018

Mandarin and wood ducks are the only two members of the Aix genus, which apparently denotes the most handsome ducks in the world. I agree that Mandy is very striking — one might even call him the Taylor Mac of the duck world — but I wouldn’t go so far to say he is the most handsome! As you can see from these side-by-side photos, Woody still rules the Pond!

Mandy the Mandarin Duck, the Pond, October 28, 2018

Woody Woody Duck, Prince of the Pond, October 28, 2018

Now for those of you who might think that Mandy is the first Mandarin duck to appear in Central Park, here is a photo from March 18, 2016, of a Mandarin duck in the Central Park Zoo, which is just a hop and a skip away (if you have long legs or wings) from the Pond where Woody lives. I haven't visited recently, so don't know if this little duck is still in residence, but just so you know ...

Mandarin Duck, Central Park Zoo, March 18, 2016

The Filming the Feathers video shows both Mandy and the Central Park Mandarin duck, and is set to music by Keven MacLeod and Shane Ivers.

The Woody Narrative

Woody Wood Duck, Prince of the Pond at 59th Street in Central Park, is my favorite wild animal to watch. I try to see him as often as I can, and I make up stories about him. I stand on the shore and call out, "Woody! Woody! Woody!" in almost a song, and Woody will swim over to me, occasionally requesting peanuts and sunflower seeds.

Woody, April 4, at the Pond, Central Park

I tell people that Woody thinks he is a mallard because he swims around with a mallard pair and chases male mallards away from the female. I tell them that the female likes Woody because he keeps her from getting attacked by mallards other than her mate. And when her mate copulates with her, Woody bites his tail feathers.

Woody and the female mallard he swims around with, April 4, the Pond

When young male mallards come to the Pond, Uncle Woody teaches them about peanuts and standing up against the mallards and behaving like a Woody Wood Duck rather than just a "normal" wood duck. I call these young male wood duck students "Junior" or "Not Woody." J3 (Junior, power of 3) is a young wood duck that Woody has trained recently.

Woody, April 4, the Pond

J3, Woody's student, April 4, the Pond

Much as it is fun to make up stories about what Woody does and thinks, every now and then Woody behaves like a male duck. This happened on April 4, when Woody was seen force copulating with a female mallard, a sight that was a little disturbing to watch. I recorded the behavior, trying to refrain from judgment, and then tried to present it as a naturalist's observation.

Watching male mallards gang attack a female mallard is disturbing, because it is brutal and primal. As I female, I found it evoked my fear of rape. This kind of behavior is common in the world of waterfowl, and has been labeled as "rape" by some naturalist sources. But that is anthropomorphizing behavior that apparently has evolved to continue the different duck species. Waterfowl, especially mallards and wood ducks, tend to hybridize more than any other bird species, although many of the hybrid offspring are infertile.

The female mallard remained under the bush for a couple of minutes after the forced copulation.

I have watched five mallards almost drown a female mallard. To watch a duck I thought I understood participate in this behavior reminded me that Woody is indeed a wild animal and will behave as wild animals do.

Woody, April 4, the Pond

I decided to accept Woody for the wood duck that he is. I have continued to visit him at the Pond, although I couldn't find him last night when I looked. He has left the Pond in the past, only to return in June to molt. If he has gone, I wish him safe travels and hope that he returns soon.

Uncle Woody Explains It All!

For the past several years, young wood ducks have arrived at the Pond to learn from the master of masters of wood-duckieness: Woody, Prince of the Pond. They have learned how to squeak at the other ducks, chase the mallards with mouth wide open, evade the pecks of larger ducks, learn to coexist and survive with other duck species, and, most important, swim toward me when I call out "Woody! Woody! Woody!" so that they are sure to get lots of peanuts.

Uncle Woody and his student, Junior (or Nephew), Oct. 13, 2013

Woody, Oct. 24, 2016, at the Pond

Junior at the Pond, Oct. 21, 2016

The first week of October, a new student arrived at the Pond. I've been calling young male wood ducks who arrive at the Pond "Junior," since although they are all woodys, none of them can really be Woody! (Figure that one out.) And while this youngster is in town, I have decided to refer to Prince Woody as Uncle Woody! Sometimes I call the younger guy Nephew. He doesn't seem to mind.

I have created a new video to celebrate the mentorship of Woody and the mentoreeship of Junior 2016. How long will Junior stay at the Pond? One year, a student stayed all winter. Other years, the youngsters have disappeared during fall migration. The music for Uncle Woody! is Beethoven's second string quartet, in G, performed by the Pascal String Quartet.

Wood ducks are most often very shy and tend to hang out with other wood ducks. (Most recently, I saw at least eight wood ducks at Prospect Park, but they were all hanging out together on the other side of an island, and didn't want to be near people.) But Woody is one of a kind, and he has found his own way to survive in the universe. It is no wonder that other wood ducks might want to learn from him.

Could these youngsters be Woody's kids? It is certainly possible, but not likely. Wood ducks do not mate for life, but are instead "love 'em and leave 'em" guys. But Woody really seems to enjoy the kids' company, and, for a while, he seems to remember that he is the most wood-ducky of wood ducks, and not actually a mallard.

The first year I saw Woody interacting with other wood ducks, he seemed rather irritated to have the relatives in town. But the last couple of years he has seemed to really enjoy the visitors. When he leaves in the spring, it is usually with the pair of mallards he likes to hang out with in the summer. He comes back in the summer to molt, and I remember one year that other wood ducks joined the molting process. When new wood ducks appear, I always hope at least one will stay to learn from the Prince of the Pond.

I never get tired of watching Woody and seeing how he navigates the world and his own small portion of it.