Name
Aythya ferina
Common pochard
Framing
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Aythya
Species: ferina
Habitat
Aquatic environments. Lakes and lagoons, marshes.
Feeding
Free-living. Gregarious, in pairs during reproduction. Omnivorous, eating aquatic plants, small fish and invertebrates.
Distribution
Europe and Asia
Conservation status
Globally Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List.
Additional information
Free-living. Gregarious, in pairs during breeding. Brown head and neck, black breast, grey body. This is a typical diving duck, with a compact appearance, short tail, strong legs and vibrant flight, which moves through the water with its body deeply submerged and its tail low.
Additional information
Bibliography
- Broyer, J. & Bourguemestre F. (2020). Common pochard Aythya ferina breeding density and fishpond management in central France. Wildlife Biology,(1). https://doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00592
- Folliot, B., Guillemain, M., Champagnon, J. & Caizergues, A. (2018). Patterns of spatial distribution and migration phenology of common pochards Aythya ferina in the Western Palearctic: a ring-recoveries analysis. Wildlife Biology, 1. https://doi.org/10.2981/wlb.00427
- Fox, A.D., Caicergues, A., Banik, M.V., Devos, K., Dvorak, M., Ellermaa, M., Folliot, B., Green, A. J. , Grünenberg, C. & Guillemain, M. (2016) Recent changes in the abundance of Common Pochard Aythya ferina breeding in Europe. Wildfowl, 66, 22-40.
- Olney, P.J.S. (1968). The food and feeding-habits of the Pochard, Aythya ferina,
Biological Conservation, 1(1), 71-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-3207(68)90026-8.