MILWAUKEE — A Mandarin duck has been spotted in Milwaukee.

The Mandarin duck is native to eastern Asia, and is commonly found in Korea, eastern Russia, China, Taiwan and Japan. They live in forests near wetlands such as rivers, streams, bogs, marshes, swamps and freshwater lakes. The Mandarin duck typically live to be six or seven years old.

When full grown, adult Mandarin ducks can be up to 8.3 to 9.7 inches. Males can weigh up to 1.4 pounds, while females can weigh up to 2.4 pounds.

Milwaukee’s Mandarin duck has recently been spotted near the South Shore Yacht Club. In mid-November of 2022, a Mandarin duck was seen in the Fond du Lac area on Lake Winnebago. The duck was seen again around Christmas. However, there is no way to know for sure if these sightings all accounted for the same duck, according to Ryan Brady, a conservation biologist with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Brady said the Mandarin duck was most likely in captivity, and either belonged to a zoo or was owned by an individual person. The Milwaukee County Zoo does not have any Mandarin ducks listed on its website.

Brady said there is no way to know how long the visiting duck will be hanging around the Yacht Club.

The duck may move if the temperature drops and the water freezes, or if it needs access to food. However, Brady did note the DNR does not want people to feed the duck. Otherwise, it may waddle away with fellow ducks nearby if they decide to move to a new area.