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Description:
Baer’s pochards have a dark gray to black head, neck and back, with light brownish-red and white sides. Females have a greater difference in color between the head (which is more domed) and brown breast.
Latin Name
Aythya baeriClass
BirdsOrder
AnseriformesRange
This diving duck species is native to eastern Asia.Status
Critically endangered. The species’ rapid population decline is likely caused by hunting and loss of wetland habitat.Habitat
Baer's pochards inhabit lakes, ponds, and coastal wetland areas with rich vegetation, nesting in aquatic vegetation and flooded meadows.
Niche
Insects, mollusks, shrimps, fish and algae during the breeding season, and aquatic plants and seeds during migration and the winter season.Life History
Males and females form pair bonds shortly after arriving at the breeding grounds from mid April onwards. The first eggs are laid in May, the last in June, until between 9 and 15 are in each nest. The nests are often built close together, and near those of other species as well. Incubation lasts between 23 and 28 days. The eggs are warmed by the female alone, but the male will guard her and feed them both. Ducklings are looked after by both parents for two or three weeks before they learn to dive and forage alone. The adults leave to moult while ducklings form new flocks.
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