Common Pochard

The next winter visitor, which has already arrived at the water bodies of City Beautiful this winter and can be easily spotted is Common Pochard. We can easily spot Common Pochards either at Sukhna Lake or more closely at Dhanas Lake. These are likely to stay here till March. The feature image was clicked at Sukhna Lake in November 2021.

Common Pochard is a medium sized diving duck that migrates to India during winter. This bird can be found in marshland and open water with some depth. The adult male has a long dark bill with a grey band, a red head and neck, a black breast, red eyes and a grey back. The adult female has a brown head and body and a narrower grey bill-band. The triangular head shape is distinctive. 

These are gregarious birds, forming large flocks in winter, often mixed with other diving ducks such as the tufted duck.  They mostly feed in water by diving or dabbling. They mainly feed on aquatic plants, but they also eat snails, insects, and small fish.

Like other duck species, males are known as drakes, while females are simply known as ducks or hens.