With brilliant plumage and puffed out chests, the Mandarin ducks
at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo are
vying for the attention of the brown females swimming about the
Discovery Trail marsh. This courtship activity might make you
think it is spring, but it’s happening right now in the middle
of winter. Although the marsh might be partially frozen over
with patches of ice large enough for the ducks to walk across, a
series of underwater bubblers keep sections of the water from
freezing, so there’s plenty room for swimming—and chasing female
ducks. Visitors who spend some time watching the Mandarin ducks
will be amused by their courtship behaviors. The males puff up
and actually bump their chests together in a show of dominance.
Occasionally, one of the male Mallard ducks will try to get into
the act, but the little Mandarins are too focused on their
courtship to put up with any interference. A few Mallards make
the marsh their home but are not officially part of the zoo’s
bird collection.