They are called lovebirds, because of the duck’s characteristic of always traveling in pairs. They always stand together like a married couple. However, during the breeding season, the male does not care about incubating and protecting the eggs, he lets the female do this job herself.

Contrary to other duck species, the male lovebird does not abandon his family, he only temporarily leaves the female during incubation and will return when the eggs have hatched.

In particular, the female is only faithful to one male, so they are considered a symbol of marital happiness.

As for male mandarin ducks, they have colorful plumage that is hard to mistake, a red beak, a large white crescent-shaped feather streak above the eye, and a red face with… a mustache. Female lovebirds have white rings around their eyes and stripes running backwards.

Mandarin ducks are average in size, 41 – 49cm in length, 65 – 75cm in wingspan. Mandarin ducks are closely related to Carolina ducks in North America.

The species was also once common in eastern Asia, but large-scale export and habitat destruction have decimated the lovebird population.

In the wild, lovebirds breed in wooded areas near ponds, shallow lakes, and swamps. They nest in hollows in trees, close to water.

With its unique appearance, the mandarin duck has attracted the attention of many ornamental bird lovers in Vietnam. However, because of its rarity and attractive beauty, mandarin ducks are quite expensive. On average, a couple costs from a few million to tens of millions of dong, with some couples up to 1000$.