The male’s chestnut and green crest and the bright orange “sails” on his back are distinctive. For most of the summer, however, the male Mandarin duck loses his distinctive plumage and looks almost like a female Mandarin.  Following the breeding season, the males molt all of their colorful feathers, which do not re-grow until sometime in the fall. 

The female is duller in color and has an overall grey appearance marked by a curving white stripe behind the eye and a series of white blotches on the underparts.
Mandarin ducks are most active foraging around dawn and dusk.  You can often see them sleeping in a shaded area during the day.

Although very well represented in captivity, Mandarin duck populations have been declining in recent decades and they are now considered Near Threatened.