Posts Tagged ‘Red-crested Pochard’

Spotted at the Santo André Lagoon in the Alentejo region of Portugal.         Red-crested Pochard song

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.

Red-crested Pochard, Krooneend, Kolbenente, Pato-de-bico-vermelho, Pato Colorado

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.

These are gregarious birds, forming large flocks in winter, often mixed with other diving ducks, such as other pochards. They feed mainly by diving or dabbling. They eat aquatic plants, and typically upend for food more than most diving ducks.

Red-crested pochards build a nest by the lakeside among vegetation and lay 8-12 pale green eggs. The birds' status 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.

 Other synonyms

Asturian: Coríu Roxu
Catalan: Becvermell, Sivert, Xibec
Catalan (Balears): Becvermell
Valencian: Sivert
Welsh: Hwyaden bengoch, Hwyaden gribgoch
Danish: Rødhovedet and
German: Kolbenente
English: Red crested duck, Red-crested Duck, Red-crested Pochard, Rufous-crested Duck
Spanish: Pato Colorado, Zambullidor de cresta roja
Estonian: Punanokk-vart
Basque: Ahate gorrizta, Xibec
Finnish: Punapäänarsku
French: Brante roussâtre, Nette rousse
Frisian: Readkopein
Irish: Póiseard Cíordhearg
Galician: Pato rubio, Xibec
Croatian: Patka Gogoljica
Hungarian: Üstökös réce, Üstökösréce
Icelandic: Kólfönd
Italian: Fistione turco, Germano turco
Japanese: Aka-hashi ha-jiro, akahashihajiro, Akahashi-hajiro
Latin: Netta rufina, Rhodonessa rufina
Maltese: Brajmla tat-Toppu A?mar
Dutch: Krooneend
Norwegian: Rødhodeand
Portuguese: pato de bico vermelho, Pato-de-bico-vermelho
Romansh: Anda cotschna
Slovak: Hrdzavka potápavá
Slovenian: tatarska žvižgavka
Albanian: Murrcaku
Serbian: plovka prevez, Pochard Preveza,
Swedish: Rödhuvad dykand

We have been birdwatching at the Santo André and Sancha lagoons which are close-by and we were just waiting for better weather. Well the weather improved so we went there 3 times. This is the first report of the 25th of March and what we spotted there. We saw a lot more but could not get a positive ID.

Below are some photos we took and here is the list:

Great Crested Grebe
Little Egret
Great White Egret
Red-crested Pochard
Cattle Egret
Common Coot
Great Cormorant
White Stork
Marsh Harrier
Wryneck
House Sparrow
Barn Swallow
Sand Martin
Common Stonechat
Golden Oriole
Southern Grey Shrike
Azure-winged Magpie
Chaffinch
European Serin
European Goldfinch
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Carrion Crow
Red-legged Partridge
Mallard
Turtle Dove
Common Teal
Greenfinch
Blackbird
Wood Pigeon
Spotless Starling
Grey Wagtail

Red-crested Pochard

 Great Cormorant

Little Egret

Great White Egret

Alentejo, Portugal