Context

Recently, a rare sight was noticed by people where they witnessed a spectacular and rare Mandarin duck floating in the Maguri-Motapung beel (or wetland) of Assam’s Tinsukia district.

About

What is the Mandarin duck?

• Considered the most beautiful duck in the world, the Mandarin duck, or the (Aix galericulata) was first identified by Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
• It is a “small-exotic looking bird” native to East Asia.
• The migratory duck breeds in Russia, Korea, Japan and northeastern parts of China.

Why is it ‘rare’ for India?

• The duck, however, rarely visits India as it does not fall in its usual migratory route.
• There are only a handful of recorded sightings here. It was recorded in
  • 1902 in Dibru river in the Rongagora area in Tinsukia
  • 2013 in Manipur’s Loktak Lake
  • 2014 in Saatvoini Beel in Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve in Assam’s Baksa district

Maguri Motapung wetland

• The Maguri Motapung wetland is an Important Bird Area as declared by the Bombay Natural History Society.
• It is located close to the Dibru Saikhowa National Park in Upper Assam.
• The wetland has a grassland adjacent to it.
• The entire ecosystem (grassland and wetland) is very important as it is home to at least 304 bird species, including a number of endemic ones like Black-breasted parrotbill and Marsh babbler.