Hot Duck, Come Back

The hot duck that’s been strutting about Central Park making an entire news cycle fall into schmaltzy duck lust with it has reportedly ghosted.

CBS New York reported on Wednesday that the rare East Asian Mandarin Duck, who was first spotted in Manhattan’s Central Park on October 10 and quickly went viral, has apparently gone missing.

The duck was without question the highlight of October and the toast of the town. It lived approximately around the pond in the southeast corner of the park near 59th Street and Fifth Avenue. It’s been much sought after and documented for weeks, but on Wednesday Dave Barrett, a bird watcher, told CBS “It was not seen yesterday and despite my posting about it today and encouraging people to look for it, it has not been seen today.”

Perhaps it merely grew bored of all the attention.

Barrett suggests the duck has moved on to different, more lovely waters. It was seen recently, for instance, enjoying the sight at the 79th Street Boat Basin. Experts think the duck will not migrate for the winter and will get along perfectly well here in New York.

“It’s the most beautiful duck,” added Barrett. “Probably in the world.”