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Latin name

Aythya ferina

Family

Swans, ducks and geese (Anatidae)

Overview

The pochard is a stocky diving duck, smaller than a mallard. The male is pale grey with a rusty red head and neck, and a black breast and tail. The female is brown with a dark head and blotchy cheeks. In flight, birds show a pale grey wing-stripe. Birds breed in eastern England and lowland Scotland, and in small numbers in Northern Ireland, with numbers increasing, perhaps helped by the creation of more gravel pits and reservoirs. Breeding birds are susceptible to disturbance and pollution though. British breeding birds disperse in winter, some to Europe, and many birds move here in winter from northern and eastern Europe.

Where to see them

Good places to look in summer are open lakes and gravel pits in lowland eastern England and Scotland. Found more widely in winter, often on larger lakes and even on estuaries.

When to see them

All year round

What they eat

Plants and seeds, snails, small fish and insects.

Estimated numbers

* UK breeding is the number of pairs breeding annually. UK wintering is the number of individuals present from October to March. UK passage is the number of individuals passing through on migration in spring and/or autumn.

Distribution

Please note that the map is only intended as a guide. It shows general distribution rather than detailed, localised populations.

Find out more

• Videos

Audio is from commercial recordings Bird Songs and Calls of Britain and Europe on 4 CDs or Bird Sounds of Europe & North-west Africa, copyright WildSounds & CEBA (www.wildsounds.com, (UK) +44 (0) 1263 741100)

2 illustrations 12

Male

Female

Similar birds

Red-crested pochard