Common pochard
Aythya ferina (Linnaeus, 1758)
The common pochard (Aythya ferina), also called pochard or northern pochard, is a waterfowl bird in the family Anatidae and the order Anseriformes. It is a small bird with an adult body mass of 823 g, up to 937 g, and a wingspan of 77 cm.
Quick facts about the common pochard
The common pochard is an aquatic, sedentary herbivore of wetland habitats, with a geographic range of 16,610,000 km². It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, an IUCN threatened category.
- Weight
- 823 g – 937 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 77 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 22.7 years – 23.2 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Herbivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- wetlandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 27 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 8.8src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the common pochard?
Photos of the common pochard
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the common pochard live?
Not recorded
What is the common pochard?
The common pochard (; Aythya ferina), known simply as pochard in the United Kingdom, is a medium-sized diving duck in the family Anatidae. It is widespread across the Palearctic. It breeds primarily in Scandinavia and the steppe regions of Siberia, and winters farther south and west.
From the Wikipedia article “Common pochard” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Common_pochard&oldid=1381942002), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the common pochard endangered?
The common pochard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the common pochard classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderAnseriformes
- familyAnatidae
- genusAythya
- SpeciesAythya ferina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Anas erythrocephala, Anas ferina, Anas rufa, Aristonetta ferina, Aythya erythrocephala, Fuligula ferina, Netta ferina, Nyroca ferina, Nyroca ferina ferinoides
Other names and names in other languages (131)
- COPOEnglish
- Northern pochardEnglish
- PochardEnglish
- حمروايArabic
- البط كستنائي الرأسArabic
- بط كستنائي الرأسArabic
- بطة حمراء الراسArabic
- Capezuto royoAragonese
- CoríuAsturian
- coríu calón bermeyuAsturian
- Qırmızıbaş dalğıcAzerbaijani
- Сумғыс өйрәкBashkir
- Нырок-сівакBelarusian
- Кафявоглава потапницаBulgarian
- পাতি ভুতিহাঁসBangla
- Morilhon penn ruzBreton
- morell cap-roigCatalan
- Хӗрлӗ пуҫлӑ улачаChuvash
- Хĕрлĕ пуçлă улачаChuvash
- polák velkýCzech
- Hwyaid PengochWelsh
- hwyaden bengochWelsh
- TafelenteGerman
- MagassEmilian
- ΓκισάριGreek
- Brunkapa anasoEsperanto
- brunkapa merganasoEsperanto
- Porrón comúnSpanish
- Porrón europeoSpanish
- Zambullidor europeoSpanish
- punapea-vartEstonian
- Murgilari arruntBasque
- اردک سرحناییPersian
- punasotkaFinnish
- MóruontFaroese
- høvuðreyð ontFaroese
- Fuligule milouinFrench
- ToofelanNorthern Frisian
- KareinWestern Frisian
- Lacha mhásachIrish
- Póiseard cíordheargIrish
- póiseardScottish Gaelic
- lach dhearg-cheannachScottish Gaelic
- Lach mhàsachScottish Gaelic
- lach-mhàsachScottish Gaelic
- lachain dearg-cheannachScottish Gaelic
- lachan-màsachScottish Gaelic
- Pato chupónGalician
- Parrulo chupónGalician
- Kione MollaghManx
- Thunnag yiarg-chioneaghManx
- Glavata patka - Главата паткаSerbian (Latin)
- צולל חלודHebrew
- צולל חלודיHebrew
- glavata patkaCroatian
- barátréceHungarian
- Կարմրագլուխ սուզաբադArmenian
- SkutulöndIcelandic
- moriglioneItalian
- ホシハジロJapanese
- წითელთავა ყურყუმელაGeorgian
- ХьэжбабыщKabardian
- Хызыл пасkjn
- Кєк сүњгуірKazakh
- Көк сүңгуірKazakh
- ಕಂದುತಲೆ ಬಾತುKannada
- 흰죽지Korean
- Hos pencoughCornish
- TafelintLuxembourgish
- rudagalvė antisLithuanian
- brūnkaklisLatvian
- црвеноглав кожуварMacedonian
- ചെന്തലയൻ എരണ്ടMalayalam
- BrajmlaMaltese
- Улаанхүзүү шумбуурMongolian
- छोटा लालसरीMarathi
- छोटी लालसरीMarathi
- Tó wónaanídę́ę́ʼ naalʼeełí bitsiiʼ halchíiʼiiNavajo
- taffelandNorwegian Bokmål
- कैलोटाउके हाँसNepali
- tafeleendDutch
- Ruskeisotkuolo
- ତିଳସ ଗେଣ୍ଡିOdia
- Pilé-chindrèiPicard
- głowienkaPolish
- głowienka (zwyczajna)Polish
- Głowienka zwyczajnaPolish
- kaczka czerwonoszyjaPolish
- kaczka kasztanowataPolish
- kaczka rdzawogłowaPolish
- عام پوچارڈWestern Panjabi
- zarroPortuguese
- zarro-comumPortuguese
- Anda fustgaRomansh
- raţa cu cap brunRomanian
- Raţă cu cap castaniuRomanian
- Rață cu cap castaniuRomanian
- raţa cu capul brunRomanian
- голубая чернетьRussian
- Красноголовая чернетьRussian
- Красноголовый нырокRussian
- Чернеть красноголоваяRussian
- Чернеть рудоголоваRusyn
- КүлтэнYakut
- AwtealScots
- RuksesfiehtaNorthern Sami
- chochlačka siváSlovak
- sivkaSlovenian
- kryekuqiAlbanian
- Kryekuqe e mjemeAlbanian
- kryekuqja e mjemeAlbanian
- Riđoglava patkaSerbian
- Риђоглава паткаSerbian
- Риђоглава патка - Riđoglava patkaSerbian
- CabarosuSardinian
- brunandSwedish
- Bata Kichwa-chekunduSwahili
- களியன்Tamil
- เป็ดโปช้าดหลังขาวThai
- ErigördekTurkmen
- elmabas patkaTurkish
- elmabaş patkaTurkish
- Кызыл баштыг шымныракTuvinian
- ПопелюхUkrainian
- попелюх звичайнийUkrainian
- KoʻkbelUzbek
- MoretonVenetian
- Vịt đầu đỏVietnamese
- 磯雁Chinese
- 紅頭潛鴨Chinese
- 红头潜鸭Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the common pochard
Other species in the same genus Aythya.
Tufted duck
Aythya fuligula
Ferruginous duck
Aythya nyroca
Greater scaup
Aythya marila
Moon-bill
Aythya collaris
Raft duck
Aythya affinis
Baer's pochard
Aythya baeri
CompareCommon pochard vs Tufted duckCommon pochard vs Ferruginous duckCommon pochard vs Greater scaupCommon pochard vs Moon-bill
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
Is the common pochard endangered?
The common pochard is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is an IUCN threatened category.
How heavy is the common pochard?
An adult common pochard weighs 823 g, with values up to 937 g reported. Its wingspan is 77 cm.
What does the common pochard eat?
The common pochard is a herbivore.
What habitat does the common pochard live in?
The common pochard lives in wetland habitats and has an aquatic lifestyle.
How many eggs does the common pochard lay?
The common pochard lays 8.8 eggs per clutch, with up to 8.9 reported, and has 1 clutch per year. Incubation lasts 27 days.
How long does the common pochard live?
The common pochard has a lifespan of 22.71 years, with values up to 23.2 years reported.
What kind of animal is the common pochard?
The common pochard is a waterfowl bird in the family Anatidae, order Anseriformes.
Who named the common pochard?
The common pochard, Aythya ferina, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Common pochard (Aythya ferina). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-pochard
“Common pochard (Aythya ferina).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-pochard.
@misc{common_pochard_2026,
title = {Common pochard (Aythya ferina)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-pochard},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}