Wood Duck and the Mandarin, The

Auk, The, Jul 1997 by R, Gary

The Wood Duck and the Mandarin.-Lawton L. Shurtleff and Christopher Savage. 1996. University of California Press, Berkeley. 232 pp., 256 color photographs, 32 color plates, 2 appendices. ISBN 0-52020812-9. Cloth, $35.00.-This is a very well-produced book detailing the natural history, conservation, and cultural aspects of the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa) and the Mandarin Duck (A. galericulata). High-quality color photographs abound in this handsome publication and certainly give fitting recognition to these most colorful perching ducks in the genus Aix. Interest in creating a book on these two species resulted from their unique presence together on the senior author's ranch in northern California. The Wood Duck is distributed in North America while the Mandarin Duck normally is found in eastern Asia. Mandarin Ducks that became established on the ranch apparently originated from individuals that escaped from bird collections in Sonoma County. Addition of nest boxes to supplement natural cavities has helped to produce a feral, self-sustaining population of several hundred Mandarins that generally occupy the same habitats as the native Wood Duck. Although I do not condone the introduction of exotic species, especially, as in this case, when their requirements overlap so much with those of native species, this is an unusual situation resulting in some unique observations.

The first chapter portrays the occurrence of the two species on the author's ranch and describes various interspecific similarities and differences. Narratives in this chapter and elsewhere are very general in nature and are appropriate for a general audience. Subtle differences exist between the species in habitat use. Mandarins also tend to be nonmigratory, whereas most Wood Ducks disperse in autumn, and Wood Ducks begin nesting 3-4 weeks earlier than the Mandarin Duck. It is interesting that both species engage in intraspecific nest parasitism, but observations of mixed broods are rare. This is attributed to the keen sense of smell of both species that enables them to identify nests being used by the other species and going elsewhere to nest. I am very skeptical of this explanation. It is much more likely that the low degree of interspecific nest parasitism is due largely to the different nesting chronologies exhibited by the two species.

The next two chapters focus on the Wood Duck. The first of these reviews the historical status in North America, and the next describes aspects of the natural history from fall through summer. Nothing is new here, but the authors do a good job of summarizing information from previous publications. More detailed accounts, especially of life history, can be found in the proceedings of the Wood Duck symposium (Fredrickson et al., Proceedings of the 1988 North American Wood Duck Symposium, 1990) and in the recent book by Bellrose and Holm (Ecology and Management of the Wood Duck, 1994).

Chapters four and five present information about the Mandarin Duck. In the Far East, it is admired for its beauty and has been an integral part of the culture in those countries for centuries. Compared with the Wood Duck, however, little is known about the Mandarin's life history, distribution, and abundance in the wild. The authors take the reader to countries of east Asia, Ussuriland in Russia, China, and Japan, and to Great Britain where Mandarin's have been introduced and naturalized. Here we learn about the Mandarin from Savage's experiences and from descriptions by local biologists in those countries. Again, information is of a general nature but some interesting facts emerge. Mandarin's eat more animal foods (fish and amphibians) than Wood Ducks, the eggs and ducklings of Mandarin are about 16% larger than those of Wood Ducks (even though adults are approximately the same size), and male Mandarins accompany the female and brood for 1-2 weeks after hatching. Disappearance and degradation of wetland habitats are major problems throughout the Mandarin's range.

The final chapter is devoted to conservation. It reviews the various conservation efforts that were successful in reestablishing Wood Duck populations in North America, and advocates similar measures for the Mandarin, whose populations have reached low levels in many areas. Conservation of wetland habitats is a top priority. The first of two appendices provides information needed to begin a nest box program for either species. The second gives advice on trapping and banding methods for Mandarins.

The price is extremely reasonable for a publication with such a wealth of color photographs. The book is very well written, but the general nature of the narrative makes it more suitable for the lay person than for the professional biologist. The book is suitable for both community and university libraries, and it would be a welcome addition to the coffee tables of all waterfowl enthusiasts.-GARY R. HEPP, Department of Zoology and Wildlife Science, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849, USA.