Aythya ferina
Silhouette: Marie-Aimée ALLARD · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
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.
Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus first assigned a scientific name to the common pochard in the tenth edition of his landmark treatise Systema Naturae; this was the first edition which included such names. He called the duck Anas ferina. In 1822, German zoologist Friedrich Boie created the genus Aythya for various diving ducks, and moved the common pochard to that new genus. Uptake of Aythya as the genus for the common pochard was mixed for much of the next century, with some authors leaving the duck in the genus Anas or assigning it to various other now-defunct genera instead. The common pochard is considered a superspecies with the canvasback. In the past, the redhead of North America was thought to be a subspecies, but the common pochard is now agreed to be monotypic, with no subspecies. It is known to have hybridised with tufted duck and ferruginous duck in captivity, and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 6 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 8 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Nikko National Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 10 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 14 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 15 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 16 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 17 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 20 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Disney's Animal Kingdom | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 3 | Zoobotánico Jerez | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Parc ornithologique de Pont-de-Gau | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Yerevan Zoo | 🇦🇲 Armenia | |
| 7 | Saint Louis Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Twycross Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Centro Cicogne e Anatidi | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 10 | Cologne Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Cleres Zoological Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Krasnodar Safari Park | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 13 | L'Oceanogràfic | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Zoo de Córdoba | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 15 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 16 | NaturOparc (Centre de réintroduction des cigognes et des loutres) | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 17 | Tracy Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 18 | Zoo Koki (Parque zoológico y botánico) | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 19 | Florida Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Texas State Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 21 | Cologne Zoo Aquarium | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 22 | Les Oiseaux du Marais Poitevin | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 23 | Ogród Zoologiczny w Katowicach | 🇵🇱 Poland |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Pochard sighting in Zhengzhou on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 25th most-seen of the 40 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Pochard sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
17th of 76
Of the 76 cities where we can rate Common Pochard sightings, Zhengzhou ranks 17th at about 10%. The best odds are in Fukuoka (Japan, about 50%), London (United Kingdom, about 30%) and Jodhpur (India, about 30%).
Same family: Anatidae
The closest relatives of the Common Pochard that you can see in Zhengzhou (family Anatidae, Ducks, Geese, and Swans) are Mallard (about 30%), Ruddy Shelduck (about 30%) and Eastern Spot-billed Duck (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Pochard is recorded against all the birds logged in Zhengzhou (6 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
