Reproduction Mandarin courtship display is very impressive and includes mock-drinking and shaking. Pairs are formed at the beginning of the winter and may continue for many seasons. Although the female chooses the exact nesting site, the male accompanies the female on nest searches. Nest are alway in a hole in a tree and can be up to thirty feet from the ground. In preparation for egg laying, the female lines the nest is with down.
Clutch sizes range from nine to twelve white oval eggs that are laid at daily intervals.
Incubation is solely performed by the female and last between 28 and 30 days. Each chick then crawls out of the hole and launches itself into a free fall. Amazingly, all the chicks land unhurt and are en route to the nearest feeding ground. Behavior In the Far East, Mandarins are migratory. Some of the ducks in England also make long-distance flights.