Ecological Risk Screening Summary - Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata) - Uncertain Risk

The Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) is native to the eastern Palearctic region with a breeding range that includes Russia, Korea, Japan, and China. It is a popular ornamental species in aviculture which has led to a widespread history of introduction and establishment. The history of invasiveness is classified as Data Deficient. A. galericulata is well established outside of its native range, particularly in Europe where a breeding population has been established since the 1930s. However, the impacts of introduced populations are not well described and only discussions of potential impacts were found. A. galericulata is known to carry the HPAI subtype H5N1 influenza virus which can cause severe illness in humans. The climate match for the contiguous United States was High. Most of the contiguous United States had a locally high climate match. There was a small area of low match on the Olympic Peninsula. The certainty of this assessment is Low due to the lack of peer-reviewed studies addressing the impacts of introductions, and difficulty identifying the geographic scope of established populations globally. The overall risk assessment category is Uncertain.