Tuesday 27 October 2009

Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)

OTHER NAMES: Pochard
Latin Etymology: Aythya (a seabird named by Aristotle) ferina ("wild game")
Adult male Common Pochard (Falco naumanni) in Castille-La-Mancha, Spain - April 2016

Local Name (Spain): Porrón común ("Common Pochard")
Weight: 930g  /  Length: 44-48cm  /  Wingspan: 77cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

The pochard is mainly seen in the UK as a Winter visitor on lakes of reasonable size. It isn't particularly notably easy, or for that matter notably common when compared to other ducks. It does however seem slightly more wary of humans than many other ducks making it slightly easier to photograph - tending to prefer deeper water where it is harder to get good views.  This particular individual was seen on its own on a small lake at Italica near Seville where the Pochard is actually a bit rarer than in the UK.

Related Species:
Order:
Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Aythya
Subspecies: none - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -
UNITED KINGDOM - Rare breeding species (350-630 pairs) and Common Winter Visitor (48000 birds)
 - Seen at various sites including Rutland WaterPitsford ReservoirDitchford Gravel Pits and Eyebrook Reservoir. 
SPAIN - Spanish - Porrón común ("Common Pochard")
Widespread Summer migrant to most of the country, though resident in a few locations in the South.
 - SEVILLE 2011 TRIP: A single bird seen around central Italica 
 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Fairly common at Laguna Navaseca

Further Notes: 
BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red ListRSPBWikipedia, Xeno-canto

1 comment:

  1. Hello, Dear!!!
    I really like your article because you present the informative facts of this duck and I also like this Common Pochard Photo and wallpaper that you present here.

    ReplyDelete