Pochard

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.