ManDar(w)in Duck

I haven't got a lisp, my title is in honour of #DarwinDay.

I went to Crews Hill this afternoon intending to visit the wholesalers where I bought the flowers for my daughter's wedding. Their huge cold store was rather depleted then as her wedding was on the day of Diana's funeral. The company is no longer there. I'll have to get flowers for my sister to make a funeral tribute with elsewhere.

On the way back I noticed Whitewebbs park. I've never been there. I've never seen a mandarin duck before either. I suppose it's because I've visited very few municipal parks. What colourful birds the males are. I love the muffled sneezing noise they make. It was so difficult to decide which of my many pics to upload. The birds have black eyes and it was very dull so I narrowed my selection down to those without 'dead' eyes. I love the pics with the birds swimming showing their reflections but in the end went for this slightly lame one showing his plumage off in all its glory.

Lu Chenguang has a new interpretation of natural beauty and sexual selection for the mandarin duck. 

The Secret of Avian Colourful Feathers
In 1987 the author of this paper argued that peahens found the peacocks’ plumage attractive because of its resemblance to berries they liked eating [6]. Recent work by the author shows that the colourful feathers of many birds imitate their preferred foods. For example, the males of several kinds of ducks have the shapes of spiral snails on their heads: the head of the male King Eider living in China looks similar to the spiral snail in China; while the head of the male Wood Duck in Northern America shares some characteristics with the spiral snail in Northern America. Similarly, the mandarin duck has a head with the shape of the clam and its yellow tail feathers imitate the body of the claim outside its shell.

Not sure I'm convinced. Think I'll stick with Darwin's explanation. :)