In Central Park, a refugee fits in
On the crescent-shaped pond in the southeast corner of Central Park, a spectacularly colourful duck floats on the surface with an air of majesty.
His head looks like a punk rocker’s multicoloured mohawk. Beneath his beady black eyes, fringed orange feathers splay across his dark purple chest. His bill is coloured a striking hot pink and sits under an emerald green forehead.
The male Mandarin duck, native to East Asia, should not be in the middle of Manhattan. And yet, against all odds, he is here. And he is dazzling.
On Oct. 10, the duck was first spotted near the pond in Central Park and a video was shared on social media. The city’s avid birders were amazed: These ducks are commonly found in China and Japan — not the United States. Plus, ducks aren’t allowed to be kept as pets in the city.
David Barrett, the creator and manager of Manhattan Bird Alert, a Twitter account used to document bird sightings across the borough, originally believed there were three ways the duck may have reached Central Park.
First, he could have escaped from a local zoo. Second, he could have fled captivity somewhere nearby, such as New Jersey. Or third, a duck owner could have tired of having a feathered friend and dumped him in the park.
Shortly after he was spotted, the duck disappeared. “For almost two weeks we didn’t know what happened to it,” Barrett said. “We assumed it got eaten by a raptor.”
But on Thursday, the duck was spotted. He had the same band on his right leg as the duck that was seen earlier.
One possible origin story was ruled out. The duck did not come from any of New York’s four major zoos run by the Wildlife Conservation Society, said Craig Piper, the director of city zoos for the organization.
On Tuesday afternoon, Barrett, 54, returned to the pond to check on the Mandarin duck.
Barrett purchased a salted soft pretzel and began tossing pieces to attract the duck. No luck. As his next option, Barrett began to quack. A small group of ducks began to swim out of the shadows.
Barrett sprinted over the bridge and back to the other side of the pond. By the time he got there, the Mandarin duck was already basking in the sun with his mallard friends, posing for awestruck onlookers with cameras.
As of Tuesday, park officials had no intention of capturing the duck.
They still do not know for certain whether the duck arrived on his own or was left there by a fed-up duck owner.