Aythya baeri
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
Baer's pochard (Aythya baeri) is a diving duck found in eastern Asia. It is a resident bird in North and Central China, and formerly bred in southeast Russia and Northeast China, migrating in winter to southern China, Vietnam, Japan, and India. Baer's pochard is a monotypic species. The holotype was collected in middle Amur.
It has a distinctive black head and neck with green gloss. While in poor light, it is likely to look completely black. It is similar and closely related to the ferruginous duck, and they were previously considered to be a single species; Baer's pochard is differentiated by its white flanks when floating on the water, as well as its longer, more rounded head and larger size.
Its breeding season varies by latitude and environment. The nest, built from sedges, reeds and other plants, is placed among emergent vegetation, usually in shallow water or on small islands or ridges. Its clutch size ranges from 5 to 14. Males usually take on sentry duty, and females take on the responsibility of incubating.
Baer's pochard was once a common species in its range, but is now very rare. The number of mature individuals may be fewer than 1,000, and its population is still declining. Hunting and habitat loss are considered to be the main reasons. This species has been classified as critically endangered by the IUCN, and listed as a first-class protected animal in China. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shedd Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Denver Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Natura Artis Magistra | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 4 | Ostrava Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | Tulsa Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | Whitcliff Park (Deer Park) | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Bronx Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Slimbridge Wetland Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Louisville Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Edinburgh Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 12 | Moody Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 13 | Fort Worth Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Zoo Knoxville | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Wilhelma | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 16 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 18 | Akron Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 19 | Lincoln Park Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 20 | Aquazoo Friesland | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 21 | Bioparc Fuengirola | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Baer's Pochard sighting in Kaziranga National Park on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 279th most-seen of the 323 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Baer's Pochard in Kaziranga National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–May and August–December, the lowest months. That is one of Kaziranga National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 520 mm in June. June and July have too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Baer's Pochard sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Kaziranga National Park, in our data
Kaziranga National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Baer's Pochard sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Aythya
The closest relatives of the Baer's Pochard that you can see in Kaziranga National Park (genus Aythya, Scaups, Pochards, and Allies) are Ferruginous Duck (about 20%), Tufted Duck (about 10%) and Common Pochard (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Baer's Pochard is recorded against all the birds logged in Kaziranga National Park (11 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
