The Common Pochard is a common diving duck of Eurasia. They are only extremely rare vagrants in North America, with most sightings happening in the Aleutians or western Alaska, but sightings have also occurred in California and Saskatchewan. They are ecological counterparts, and very similar to, the Redhead duck that is found in North America.
Habitat
Found on a variety of water bodies (lakes, reservoirs, and slow moving rivers), but in general requires open water habitat of shallow to moderate depth, with surrounding aquatic vegetation that supports prey items such as snails, mollusks, and aquatic insects. They will occasionally use brackish water areas or sheltered coastal bays, but they strongly prefer inland, fresh water bodies.
Diet
Omnivorous, feeding on both plant and animal matter. Food items may include aquatic plants (seeds, stems, leaves, and roots), algae, aquatic insects and their larvae, small mollusks and crustaceans, and occasionally small fish.
Behavior
Typically a diving duck, diving and swimming under water for food, but they will also upend and feed with just their head under the water. They will also sometimes dabble near the water's surface. Gregarious, sometimes forming very large flocks on their wintering grounds, oftentimes mixing with other species such as Tufted Duck .
Nesting
The nest of a Common Pochard is a shallow depression in thick vegetation, usually within 20-30 feet of a lake or river shoreline. Females incubate the eggs and tend to the young after hatching, but the young must find their own food.
Migration
Most populations are migratory, especially those in the northern half of their range. They breed throughout large swaths of Europe and Asia. Wintering grounds include southern and eastern Asia, western Europe, and northern Africa.
Similar Species
Redhead: The Common Pochard has a darker reddish-brown head, a pale gray back, and a black breast, while the Redhead shows a warmer cinnamon-red head and a more uniformly gray body. Male Redheads also have a bluish bill with a broad black tip, whereas Common Pochards have a darker gray bill with a black tip and subterminal band.
Canvasback: The Common Pochard has a rounded head and a relatively short bill, while the Canvasback shows a distinctive long, sloping forehead that flows smoothly into a long black bill. Canvasbacks also appear more strikingly patterned, with a white back and flanks contrasting sharply with the dark chest and reddish head.
Conservation Status
The Common Pochard has experienced significant population declines across parts of Europe and Asia and is considered a species of conservation concern. Major threats include wetland loss and degradation, pollution, disturbance at breeding and wintering sites, lead poisoning, and changes in water quality and aquatic vegetation. Although it remains widespread across much of Eurasia, conservation efforts increasingly focus on protecting and restoring wetlands that are essential for breeding, migration, and wintering populations. The IUCN cites the Common Porchard as a species that is "vulnerable" .
Photo Information
Photo taken by Charles Lam - Llicensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.0 Generic License
Interactive eBird Map
Click to access the interactive eBird species sightings page for Common Pochard
