Wildlifeof Nepal
Common Pochard
Ducks, Geese & Grebes
Photo: (c) Andrew Bazdyrev, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Aythya ferina
Basic stats
Diet
Plant material including seeds, small fish, molluscs and aquatic invertebrates; mostly feeds at night
Habitat
Marshes and lakes with a metre or more of water depth
Range
Breeds across the Palearctic; winters farther south and west
Size
42–49cm
Wingspan
72–82cm
Weight
467–1,240g (winter birds)
The common pochard is a plump, medium-sized diving duck, 42 to 49cm long with a wingspan of 72 to 82cm. It is stocky and short-tailed, with a sloping forehead and a relatively long bill. The male has a chestnut head and neck, a black breast and tail and a pale grey body finely marked with vermiculations, and a dark grey bill with a wide blue-grey band (Wikipedia, general species account).
It breeds mainly in Scandinavia and the steppe regions of Siberia and winters farther south and west, in marshes and lakes with a metre or more of water. It feeds on plant material, including seeds, small fish, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates, doing most of its feeding at night. In direct flapping flight it can reach 22 to 24 metres a second.
Quick answers
- What does the Common Pochard eat?
- Plant material including seeds, small fish, molluscs and aquatic invertebrates; mostly feeds at night
- What habitat does the Common Pochard live in?
- Marshes and lakes with a metre or more of water depth
- Where is the Common Pochard found?
- Breeds across the Palearctic; winters farther south and west
- How big is the Common Pochard?
- 42–49cm
- What is the wingspan of the Common Pochard?
- 72–82cm
- How much does the Common Pochard weigh?
- 467–1,240g (winter birds)