Sight For Sore Eyes: Rare Mandarin Duck Returns To Central Park
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – The bird is back!
A rare duck that went missing from Central Park has returned.
The Mandarin duck is native to East Asia and known for its multicolored feathers. It made quite a splash when it arrived in the park last month and has been attracting visitors ever since.
The duck was last seen in Turtle Pond last Friday.
"While we are not tracking the Mandarin duck, we've noted that he's appeared healthy and has regularly moved between water bodies in Central Park. We don't know his exact location at this time," the Parks Department said in a statement Wednesday. "Almost all ducks migrate seasonally. While we're happy to have had him visit our parks, it's important to remember that at some point he may leave New York for warmer temperatures."
Bird watcher David Barrett told CBS2's Jessica Layton the duck had disappeared for two weeks in October, too.
I haven't seen it for myself but @BirdCentralPark tells me the mandarin duck is back in the pond at Central Park ???? @CBSNewYork
— Jessica Layton (@JLaytonTV) November 8, 2018
"It's beautiful. That's the thing that is getting people's imaginations fired... It's the most beautiful duck, probably in the world," he said.
Bird experts say the duck probably won't migrate and should be able to survive the winter in New York.