Monday, 27 October 2025

Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca)

OTHER NAMES: Ferruginous Pochard, Common white-eye, White-eyed Pochard, Fudge Duck
Latin Etymology: Aythya (a seabird named by Aristotle) nyroca (Pochard)

Adult female Ferruginous Duck (Aythya nyroca) at Brampton Pits, Cambridgeshire - October 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 460-730g  /  Length: 32-42cm  /  Wingspan: 63-67cm
NO UK STATUSIUCN Red List: Near Threatened

An easily overlooked species where its chestnut and coppery colour isn't always apparent when not in clear light - they are a species which breeds in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and in scattered enclaves along the Mediterranean and Middle East, Wintering to the South.  It is however, a fairly regular vagrant to the UK, and 2025 seemed to be a somewhat bumper year for them with a number showing up at various sites, often associating with other aythya species liked common pochard and tufted duck.

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

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A regular vagrant
 - Seen at Brampton Pits, Cambridgeshire in October 2025

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

No comments:

Post a Comment