327: Mandarin Duck

Full Episode description

Ellen falls in love with the Mandarin duck. We discuss why waterfowl’s webbed feet don’t freeze in the winter, the evolutionary arms race between male and female ducks, New York City’s local celebrity Hot Duck, your new favorite coffee order, and more.

Works Cited:

1. “Countercurrent Exchange” – Dr. Roger Lederer, ornithology.org
2. “Coevolution of Male and Female Genital Morphology in Waterfowl” – Patricia L. R. Brennan et al., PLOS One, May 2007
3. “Ducks, Geese, and Swans” – Ivan Phillipsen, scienceofbirds.com, December 2020
4. “Conspecific Brood Parasitism and Nesting Biology of Mandarin Ducks (Aix galericulata) in Northeastern China” – Qiu-Ziang Deng et al., The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, September 2011
5. “Molecular Evidence for Interspecific Brood Parasitism and Successful Hatching by Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) on the Scaly-sided Merganser (Mergus squamatus)” – Shu Liu et al., BMC Zoology (under review Feb 2026)
6. “Will You Still Love the Hot Duck When He Looks Like This?” – Andy McGlashen, Audubon Magazine, February 2019

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