The Mandarin Duck ranks as an extraordinarily beautiful, not to mention colorful, variety of duck. It also bears a close relationship to the wood duck of North America. This unique animal now lists as Threatened with the IUCN in its endemic range. The primary reason for this remains habitat loss, due to the destruction of native forests. However, and in this instance, for once, thankfully, mankind introduced it to many other portions of the world. The Mandarin Duck also constitutes a species of perching duck. Individuals spend the majority of their time during the day perching (hence the term) in trees or on the ground. Though not hunted for food, its beauty, however, nevertheless serves as a curse since collectors often hunt the magnificent avian.