| Red-crested Pochard | |
|---|---|
 Male | |
 Female | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Genus: | Netta |
| Species: | Netta rufina |
The Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) is a species of duck.
Description[]
The Red-crested Pochard is a rather large duck with a big, round head, a steep forehead, and a fine bill. Adults are approximately the size of Mallards, larger and stouter than Common Pochards. The male has a brown head with an orange crown, a red bill, black neck and chest, white sides, and broad white wing-bars. The female is less conspicuous, with a mostly grey-brown plumage, with whitish cheeks and a brown crown, and a blackish, yellow-tipped bill. Both sexes have brownish legs. The juvenile resembles the adult female, but lacks the brown crest.
Voice[]
This duck has a distinctive trisyllabic, croaking call. During courtship, the male also gives whistling calls that end in a gurgling sound.
Behaviour[]
Breeding[]
Mating occurs from May to June. The Red-crested Pochard nests both on land, in depressions dug into the ground, and in shallow water, in floating structures made of roots and twigs. In both cases, the female lines the nest with feathers and down. The clutch is usually six to twelve cream-coloured eggs, which are incubated by the mother alone for about four weeks. Some nests may contain more than twelve eggs. This is usually the result of cohabitation between multiple individuals, even of different species: Gadwall and Common Pochard eggs have also been found in Red-crested Pochard nests. Whilst the female incubates, the male generally stands guard in the area of the nest, giving alarm calls when disturbed. The precocial ducklings are yellowish below and olive-brown with white spots above.