Everyone Loves the Hot Duck

On October 10, an objectively gorgeous duck splashed into Central Park Pond, where he would, in just over two weeks, become a bird-celebrity. "The Central Park Pond's newly-arrived Mandarin duck (we still do not know how it got here) unseated the Wood Duck as prettiest duck in the park," reads the tweet that introduced New York City to the breathtaking creature. With his deep-purple chest and hot-pink bill, this fowl has captivated the city, bringing people to consensus: The duck is hot.

"On the crescent-shaped pond in the southeast corner of Central Park, a spectacularly colorful duck floats on the surface with an air of majesty," reads the lede of the New York Times' majestically horny profile of the duck. "The male Mandarin duck, native to East Asia, should not be in the middle of Manhattan. And yet, against all odds, he is here. And he is dazzling. "

Per PIX 11, the fabulous boy has been drawing crowds of people to Central Park Pond near 59th Street and Fifth Avenue, where he's been hanging out with a bunch of average (but still good) ducks. As David Barrett, the man behind the Manhattan Bird Alert Twitter account, said, "We have beautiful ducks in the park, but this is nothing like anything else we have."

We could not agree more.

According to a spokesperson at the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, the rare creature is "escaped captivity or was released," as the department has confirmed that it does not come from any local zoos. However, "we do not seem to be injured or in need of care, we would not make an attempt to capture it," spokesperson told the Cut. Right now, the fowl is happy – New Yorkers to respect his space.

"The mandarin duck is healthy and happily mingling with the mallards of Central Park," the spokesperson told the Cut. "While it's such a rare bird in NYC's backyard, like every other celebrity sighting, New Yorkers should know to give him a break."

Protect New York's most eligible bachelor at all costs.