CreatureData

Pink-headed duck

Rhodonessa caryophyllacea (Latham, 1790)

CRCritically EndangeredwaterfowlExtinct

The pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) is a species in the family Anatidae, order Anseriformes. Recorded adults weigh 886.3 g to 1.08 kg. Its IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered.

Pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea)
Photo: John Mosbaugh · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the pink-headed duck

Weight
886.3 g – 1.08 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
7.5src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Aquaticsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the pink-headed duck live?

Not recorded

What is the pink-headed duck?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) is a probable extinct species of large diving duck that was once found in parts of the Gangetic plains and parts of Maharashtra State of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and in the riverine swamps of Myanmar but has been feared extinct since the 1950s. Numerous searches have failed to provide any proof of continued existence. It has been suggested that it may exist in the inaccessible swamp regions of northern Myanmar and some sight reports from that region have led to its status being declared as "Critically Endangered" rather than extinct. The genus placement has been disputed and while some have suggested that it is close to the red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), others have placed it in a separate genus of its own. It is unique in the pink colouration of the head combined with a dark body. A prominent wing patch and the long slender neck are features shared with the common Indian spot-billed duck. The eggs have also been held as particularly peculiar in being nearly spherical.

From the Wikipedia article “Pink-headed duck” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pink-headed_duck&oldid=1376159104), 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 pink-headed duck endangered?

The pink-headed duck is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species. What the categories mean.

How is the pink-headed duck classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderAnseriformes
  5. familyAnatidae
  6. genusRhodonessa
  7. SpeciesRhodonessa caryophyllacea (Latham, 1790)

Synonyms Anas caryophyllacea, Anas pyrrhacra, Netta caryophyllacea, Rhondonessa caryophyllacea

Other names and names in other languages (40)
  • بط وردي الرأسArabic
  • Çəhrayıbaş ördəkAzerbaijani
  • গোলাপিশিরBangla
  • ànec de cap rosatCatalan
  • kachna růžovohlaváCzech
  • Hwyaden ben gwridogWelsh
  • Rosenhovedet AndDanish
  • RosenkopfenteGerman
  • NelkenenteGerman
  • Rozkapa anasoEsperanto
  • Pato CabecirrosaSpanish
  • Pato cabecirrosadoSpanish
  • roosavartEstonian
  • مرغابی سرصورتیPersian
  • ruusupääsorsaFinnish
  • Nette à cou roseFrench
  • Lacha cheann-bhándeargIrish
  • ברווז ורוד-ראשHebrew
  • ružičastoglava patkaCroatian
  • rózsásfejű réceHungarian
  • Anatra testarosaItalian
  • バライロガモJapanese
  • raudongalvė antisLithuanian
  • Sārtgalvas pīleLatvian
  • പിങ്ക് തലയുള്ള താറാവ്Malayalam
  • गुलाबी डोक्याचे बदकMarathi
  • Ошалгы-якшар вуян лыдыWestern Mari
  • rosenhodeandNorwegian Bokmål
  • गुलाफीटाउके हाँसNepali
  • RozekopeendDutch
  • RóżankaPolish
  • Różanka (ptak)Polish
  • گلابی سری بطخWestern Panjabi
  • pato-de-cabeça-rosaPortuguese
  • Розовоголовая уткаRussian
  • ružovokrčka močiarnaSlovak
  • rosenandSwedish
  • Качка рожевоголоваUkrainian
  • Vịt đầu hồngVietnamese
  • 粉頭鴨Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the pink-headed duck

Other species in the same family Anatidae.

LC, Least Concern
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Mallard

Anas platyrhynchos

Anatidae

LC, Least Concern
Mute swan (Cygnus olor)

Mute swan

Cygnus olor

Anatidae

ComparePink-headed duck vs MallardPink-headed duck vs Greylag goosePink-headed duck vs Northern pintailPink-headed duck vs Mute swan

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the pink-headed duck?

An adult pink-headed duck weighs 886.3 g – 1.08 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the pink-headed duck endangered?

The pink-headed duck is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the pink-headed duck?

The pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea) belongs to the family Anatidae in the order Anseriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pink-headed-duck

MLA

“Pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pink-headed-duck.

BibTeX
@misc{pink_headed_duck_2026,
  title = {Pink-headed duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pink-headed-duck},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}