Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)

Other Names (World)
Common Pochard, Pochard, European Pochard, Eurasian Pochard, Northern Pochard, Poker Duck

Family
Anatidae (Ducks, Geese, Swans)

Size
42 - 49 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Habitat
Ponds, lakes, coastal lagoons and bays.

Range (Guide)

Afghanistan (NB) (P), Albania (B) (NB), Algeria, Armenia (B) (NB), Austria (B) (NB), Azerbaijan (NB), Bahrain, Bangladesh (NB), Belarus (B) (NB), Belgium (B) (NB), Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina (B) (NB), Bulgaria (B) (NB) (P), China (mainland), Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (B) (NB), Cyprus (NB), Czech Republic (B) (NB) (P), Denmark (B) (NB) (P), Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia (B) (NB) (P), Ethiopia, Finland (B) (NB) (P), France (B) (NB) (P), Gambia, Georgia, Germany (B) (NB) (P), Greece (B) (NB) (P), Guam (NB), Guinea-bissau, Hungary (B) (NB) (P), Iceland (B), India, Iran [Islamic Republic of] (NB) (P), Iraq (NB), Ireland (B) (NB), Israel, Italy (B) (NB) (P), Japan, Jordan (NB) (P), Kazakhstan (B), Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan (NB), Latvia (B) (NB), Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania (B) (NB) (P), Luxembourg (B) (NB), Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of] (B) (NB), Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Moldova [Republic of] (B) (NB), Mongolia (B), Montenegro (B) (NB) (P), Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Netherlands Antilles (B) (NB), Nigeria, North Korea, Northern Mariana Islands (NB), Norway (B) (NB) (P), Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland (B) (NB) (P), Portugal (B) (NB), Qatar, Romania (B) (NB) (P), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B) (P), Russia (European) (B) (NB) (P), Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia (B) (NB) (P), Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (B) (NB) (P), Slovenia (B) (NB) (P), South Korea, Spain (B) (NB), Sudan, Sweden (B) (NB) (P), Switzerland (B) (NB), Syrian Arab Republic, Taiwan (China), Tajikistan, Tanzania [United Republic of], Thailand, Tunisia (NB), Turkey (B) (NB), Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine (B) (NB) (P), United Arab Emirates (NB), United Kingdom (B) (NB), Uzbekistan (B), Vietnam, Yemen.

Vagrant to Burkina Faso, Canada, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], Faroe Islands, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Niger, USA, Western Sahara.

Iceland and western Europe east through central Asia to south-eastern USSR; scattered populations from Turkey through southern Palearctic to north-eastern China and northern Japan.

Population
Estimated population is 2,200,000 - 2,500,000 (2010).

Status VU
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Leaves, stems and seeds of aquatic plants and invertebrates such as water snails.

Voice
Usually silent. Male utters a soft, wheezing 'wiwwierr' during courtship.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (140)...)

Common Pochard (Aythya) [XC641504]
by Ch\u00e8vremont Fabian from Val-Couesnon, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, Sweden (call, nocturnal flight call, wing beats)

Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) [XC895729]
by Gil Lissens from p12, Meijendel, Wassenaar, ZH, United Kingdom (call)

Nest
On the ground, near water.

Eggs (Guide)
6 - 11; greenish-grey; ellipsoidal. Incubation: about 25 days; by male.

Subspecies
Forms superspecies with Canvasback (Aythya valisineria).

Hybridization with several species of Aythya and Brazilian Teal (Amazonetta brasiliensis) recorded in captivity.

No subspecies.

References
See References.

The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7

Files:

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BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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