Fancy Boi: Colourful duck and Long Boi's 'exotic cousin' on the University of York campus

The colourful creature is a Mandarin duck with a "very flamboyant" personality - adopted by students who can't get enough of their resident bird population.

While he hasn't yet made it onto The Late Late Show With James Corden like Long Boi, 1.2k people follow his Instagram page @fancyboiyork.

According to the Wildlife Trust, Mandarin Ducks can be about 45cm in length with a wingspan of 71cm.

This particular type of duck was introduced from the Far East, where it can still be found in China, Japan, Korea and parts of Russia. It is believed the ducks either escaped or were deliberately released from captivity - the rest is history.

Photos taken by Laura Armstrong

Fancy Boi's personal PR assistant Deven Voralia, who also happens to be a third year Philosophy, Politics and Economics student, said his hidden "wholesome" side has attracted a small fan base.

Deven told The Press: "The name 'Fancy Boi' comes from his vibrant colours, as you can see.

"He has a bit of character too! He is very flamboyant and tends to be exuberant. Despite this, he looks after the other ducks, including some ducklings which have recently hatched.

Photo of Fancy Boi with the goslings taken by Will Stirk

"Fancyboi provides joy to the students through his colours and looking after these ducklings. Many students find it wholesome, so he has attracted lots of fans that way.

"Similarly to Long Boi, he has provided happiness in a tough time during the pandemic.

"Longboi and Fancyboi were a bit isolated from the flock at first, Long Boi for his height and Fancy Boi for his colours. However, ever since they have received attention, they have thrived."

Deven started the Instagram account this month after seeing dedicated pages for Long Boi and the late Chonky Boi.

"I noticed lots of people sharing photos of Fancyboi because of his colours, so I felt like he needed an account as well," Deven said.

"From my perspective, you can really see the support. I can see several students sending me photos from the uni. So it really brings a lot of happiness."

Catch up on the latest duck stories from York...

• The story of how the University of York's most popular duck, Long Boi, went viral
• York student's handmade Long Boi costume is used in advert
• Tribute to 'heroic' campus duck Chonky Boi
• WATCH: York duck Long Boi stars on The Late Late Show with James Corden

Photo by Jack Hanson