Common Pochard

Aythya ferina

The Common Pochard is a beautiful duck with a round body and a striking red head. They love to swim in lakes and ponds, diving for tasty plants and small fish.

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Common Pochard is a medium-sized diving duck. Males have a striking reddish-brown head, a black chest, and a pale grey body, with a distinctive blue-grey bill tipped in black. Females are duller brown with a pale facial patch, differing from other ducks by their rounded head and heavy body.

KingdomAnimaliaPhylumChordataClassAvesOrderAnseriformesFamilyAnatidaeGenusAythya

Common Pochard

Interesting facts

A group of pochards is called a 'raft' when on the water!

Common Pochards sometimes lay their eggs in other birds' nests!

Their dense feathers trap air, making them extra buoyant underwater!

They can hold their breath for a full minute while diving for food!

Special abilities

Common Pochard can dive up to 3 meters underwater that helps them find food on the lakebed.

Common Pochard has a specially adapted bill that helps them filter and grasp small invertebrates and plant matter.

Common Pochard needs a long run across the water's surface to gain speed for flight because of their heavy bodies.

Measurements & details

Length: 42-49 cm
Wingspan: 72-82 cm
Weight: 0.7-1.1 kg
Lifespan: 5-10 years
Top Speed: 60 km/h
Clutch Size: 6-12
Incubation: 24-28 days
Migration Distance: 2500 km

Diet & Feeding

They eat mostly aquatic plants and small creatures found at the bottom of water bodies.

Age differences: Ducklings initially consume more invertebrates; adults have a greater proportion of plant material in their diet.

Primary Foods

Aquatic plants
Insect larvae
Molluscs
Small crustaceans
Fish eggs
Small fish

Foraging Method

Foraging

Ecological connections

eaten by

Red Fox

Vulpes vulpes

Foxes prey on eggs and ducklings.

eaten by

Black-headed Gull

Larus ridibundus

Gulls can snatch eggs from nests.

eaten by

Northern Pike

Esox lucius

Large pike can eat young ducklings.

eats

Curled Pondweed

Potamogeton crispus

They dive to eat plant parts and seeds.

eats

Spiked Water Milfoil

Myriophyllum spicatum

Pochards consume stems and leaves underwater.

Traits

Feathered

Feathered describes animals, primarily birds, possessing a covering of feathers.

Webbed Feet

Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming.

Social

Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.

Colorful

Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.

Piscivorous

Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.