NEW YORK (AP) - A brightly colored Mandarin duck is holding New York City in its spell.

Ever since the duck appeared on a Central Park lake more than a month ago, crowds of sightseers and photographers have shown up daily in hopes of seeing the exotic bird and its pink, purple, orange and emerald green plumage and markings.

One photographer who is part of what has become known as the "quackarazzi" compared the little duck to a "living box of crayons."

Bird expert Paul Sweet of the American Museum of Natural History, however, isn't as excited. He says the Central Park duck is not that rare. Not only is there another one at the nearby Central Park Zoo, some are kept on private property as exotic animals and this one may have escaped.