Haagse Bos in The Hague isn’t exactly New York’s Central Park, however the two public greenspaces do share similarities: they’re both urban oases, both have idyllic ponds and walkways, and both have hosted the rare and exotic mandarin duck to great fanfare.
Often called the world’s most beautiful duck, this gorgeous bird, if seen in New York City, would most likely be a lost pet or zoo escapee, not from a native population. Yet the Netherlands has a naturalized population of roughly 800 mandarin ducks that originated from captive specimens. While that may not sound like a lot, it does offer more photo opportunities than elsewhere in the world.
