Ferruginous Duck

Overview

The ferruginous duck (Aythya nyroca), also known as the ferruginous pochard or white-eyed pochard, is a medium-sized diving duck native to the Palearctic. It is currently classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List due to habitat degradation and other anthropogenic pressures.

Identification

• Breeding males display rich, dark chestnut plumage on the head, breast, and flanks with contrasting pure white undertail coverts.
• Males have a distinctive yellow eye, whereas females possess a dark eye and duller, browner plumage.
• In flight, a white belly and underwing patch are visible against the darker body.
• The bird is medium-sized relative to other Aythya species.

Habitat

The species prefers shallow fresh waterbodies with rich submerged and floating vegetation, often with dense emergent vegetation on the margins. It may also utilise saline or brackish pools, and during migration or wintering it frequents coastal waters, inland seas, and large open lagoons. Its breeding range extends from Iberia and the Maghreb east to western Mongolia and south to Arabia, though it is scarce and localised in western populations.

Diet

These birds feed primarily by diving or dabbling, consuming aquatic plants alongside molluscs, aquatic insects, and small fish. They frequently forage at night and often upend (dabble) in the water to access food.

Did you know?

During courtship, the male often curls his tail so that it dips into the water, creating a triangular white patch from the undertail coverts. The species name derives from the Ancient Greek word for an unknown seabird and the Russian word for pochard, reflecting its cultural history in naming.