Red-crested Pochards
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The Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) is a large diving duck.
Their breeding habitat is lowland marshes and lakes in southern Europe and southern and central Asia.
They are somewhat migratory, and northern birds winter further south and into north Africa.
Description:
The adult male is unmistakable. It has a rounded orange head, red bill and black breast. The flanks are white, the back brown, and the tail black. The female is mainly a pale brown, with a darker back and crown and a whitish face.
Breeding / Nesting:
Red-crested pochards build a nest by the lakeside among vegetation and lay 8-12 pale green eggs.
Distribution / Habitat:
These are gregarious birds, forming large flocks in winter, often mixed with other diving ducks, such as Pochards.
The status of the Red-crested Pochard in the British Isles is much confused due to the fact that there have been many escapes and deliberate releases over the years, as well as natural visitors from the continent. However, it is most likely that they are escapees that are now breeding wild and have built up a successful feral population.
They are most numerous around areas of England including Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire. Wild birds occasionally turn up at places such as Abberton Reservoir, Essex.
The Red-crested Pochard is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies.
Copyright: Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia.org.
Diet / Feeding:
Red-crested pochards usually feed by diving or dabbling. Their diet consists of aquatic plants, and they typically upend for food more than most diving ducks.
Ducks generally feed on larvae and pupae usually found under rocks, aquatic animals, plant material, seeds, small fish, snails and crabs.
Feeding Ducks ...
We all enjoy ducks and many of us offer them food to encourage them to come over and stay around - and it works! Who doesn't like an easy meal!
However, the foods that we traditionally feed them at local ponds are utterly unsuitable for them and are likely to cause health problems down the road. Also, there may be local laws against feeding this species of bird - so it's best to check on that rather than facing consequences at a later stage.
- Click here to find out which foods to feed them that will offer the nutrition they need to survive a cold winter and remain healthy
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