A NATIVE Chinese bird, the Mandarin duck, has been spotted on the canal in Tavistock — experts believe it may have escaped from a colony on the River Plym.

The exotic looking bird, the male of the species, was seen by Jennifer Symons while she was in The Meadows on Saturday afternoon.

She told the Times: 'Living in Tavistock, I am a regular visitor to the park and to the canal. When I saw this unusual looking bird amongst all the other ducks I took a picture, not knowing what it was.

'It had outstanding markings so when I got home I looked it up and it looked just like a Mandarin.'

Tony John, a member of the Devon Wildlife Trust and Devon Birdwatching Society who lives at Sampford Spiney, said Mandarin ducks were native to China and brought into this country in the 19th or 20th Century.

'The main concentration of Mandarin ducks in Britain is in the South East of the country but because they are such exotic and attractive birds people keep them as specimens in wildfowl collections,' he said.

'Most of the Mandarin ducks seen in Devon come from the original place where they were brought in and bred and that is Saltram, Plymouth.

'You can see large numbers of them from the Plym Bridge up to Saltram.'

Mr John said Mandarin ducks had been seen at Burrator Reservoir and sometimes further out on the moor but it was still unusual to see one

He said he had never seen one on the River Tavy and would certainly be making a trip down to The Meadows to see if it was still there.

'It may be that someone in the Tavistock area has a small wildfowl collection but very often their wings are clipped so they can hardly fly at all.

'It is more likely to be a wild bird, an escapee from the River Plym or Burrator so we are unlikely to see any more than one down there.'

The adult male has elaborate and ornate plumage and long orange feathers on the side of its face. In contrast the female is much more ordinary. Like many other animals the female is better camouflaged so as not to be noticed with her young.

The population of Mandarin ducks in China has decreased quite dramatically due to habitat destruction. There are now said to be 7,000 in Britain.