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Ferruginous Duck
(Aythya nyroca)
: "Ferruginous pochard", "White-eyed Pochard", "Common Pochard",
"Common White-eye", "Ferruginous White-eye"
 German name(s): "Moorente"
Size: 38-42 cm; wing span 63-67 cm
Weight: 400-690 g
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Similar
species |
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Physical description |
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 Click here for a physical description
Ferruginous Ducks are relatively small ducks.
Their plumage
is dimorphic, i.e.
males
and females
are slightly different.
Male
Ferruginous Ducks have a glossy chestnut-brown front and head, with
a darker-brown back. Outside the breeding season the head and front
will be less conspicuously glossy and somewhat darker, making their
plumage more similar
to that of females.
Males
have a dark-grey bill with a light-grey tip that has a black "nail".
The most obvious difference between the two sexes is that
males
have white irises, while the irises of females are black.
Females
have a dark-brown head and back, often with some vermiculation,
and a somewhat lighter brown front with some inconspicuous barring.
The bill of females
has duller colouring, too.
Both sexes have a white belly, which is often only seen in flight,
and a prominent white stern patch (which is visible, because above
the water line when floating on water).
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Taxonomy, classification |
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See Ferruginous
Duck at Wikipedia  .
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Range, habitat, finding this species |
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and
specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found,
based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to
ebird.org
.
The global distribution of the Ferruginous Duck is available
HERE
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Ferruginous Ducks are a partly migratory Eurasian species
of diving duck.
Their breeding range encompasses parts of southern and
eastern Europe and of southern and western Asia. They are
short-distance migrants, wintering farther South, in the
Mediterranean, parts of the Middle East and North Africa
and also in southern parts of Asia.
In Europe Ferruginous Ducks are found as permanent residents
in a number of near-coastal wetlands along the northern
Mediterranean coastline, most promienntly around the Adriatic
Sea, but also in some locations in southern Iberia and in
southern Sardinia and southern Sicily and in Cyprus.
They also breed along the lower Danube river,
up to about the Hungarian Pusta, in particular in the Danube
delta and also along the rest of the West coast of the Black
Sea. Further to the North, they are found in the Czech Republic
and parts of Poland and from there eastwards up to the lower
Dnjepr river and the North-east coast of the Caspian Sea, up
to the northern base of the Caucasus mountain range.
Elsewhere in south-eastern Europe, and e.g. in Asia Minor,
they can be found during their usually short migration to
more southern wetlands.
Being diving ducks, Ferruginous Ducks have a preference for
habitats with water that is at least 1 m deep, such as e.g.
marshes or lakes. At least during the breeding season these
wetlands are usually well vegetated.
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Sightings |
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Click here for sighting information
K. Paunovic reports spotting a Ferruginous Duck at Zasavica park
near Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia, in July 2007.
J. Pires found a Ferruginous Duck at
Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, in February
2019.
G. Normand reports finding a Ferruginous
Duck in Bois de Vincennes, 12th district, Paris, in December 2020.
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Photos |
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ADULT |
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MALE |
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BREEDING |
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Frontal view of a male Ferruginous Duck in breeding
plumage
looking sideways; in the background a female
Northern
Shoveler
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, February 2019]
Near-frontal view of a male Ferruginous Duck in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Lagoa de Albufeira, near Sesimbra, Setubal, Portugal, February 2019]
Lateral view of a male Ferruginous Duck in breeding
plumage
(photo courtesy of G. Normand)
[Bois de Vincennes, 12th district, Paris, December 2020]
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FEMALE |
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Lateral view of a female Ferruginous Duck
(photo courtesy of K. Paunovic)
[Zasavica park, near Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia, July 2007]
These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our
contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species
please refer to a field guide.
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
