Pochard

Confirming the presence or absence of any of these animals, particularly the pochard, is difficult however as ‘the marsh is so extensive and difficult to travel in that the duck could easily go undetected inside it’ (Young & Smith 1989, p. 23). ❋ Darren Naish (2006)

WWT Washington Wetland Centre's aviculture warden Owen Joiner flew to Africa last month on an emergency mission to save the pochard, which is the world's rarest duck.

Important breeding wetland species include marbled teal Marmaronetta angustirostris (VU,35), white-headed duck Oxyura leucocephala (EN,400, which nest mainly in artificial ponds in surrounding areas), white-eyed pochard Aythya niroca (VU), purple gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio and crested coot Fulica cristata. ❋ Unknown (2008)

Nine of the critically endangered species targeted by the grants are reptiles, including the Siamese crocodile, Antiguan racer, and river terrapin; seven are birds, including the Siberian crane, Polynesian ground-dove, and Madagascar pochard; and five are mammals, including the giant sable and the duiker, in addition to the Ethiopian wolf. ❋ Unknown (2009)

I think that the latter point is significant here, as the posts on eagle owls, phorusrhacids, the Madagascar pochard, and the 10 bird meme were not spin-offs of my own ideas, but were instead initiated by the writings of others. ❋ Darren Naish (2007)

These fish appear to compete with native waterbirds by eating the same plants and invertebrates, and the larger, carnivorous fish species may predate upon pochard ducklings. ❋ Darren Naish (2006)

High records for common pochard and greylag goose Anser anser (3,200: 18,000 in the 1970s) show that Ichkeul is their most important wintering site in northwest Africa. 600 (4% of known world population) of the threatened white-headed duck Oxyura leucocephala, were seen in 1977. ❋ Unknown (2008)

With Rhodonessa coined by Reichenbach in 1853 and Netta by Kaup in 1859, the former supposedly had priority, so the Red-crested pochard – a familiar species to anyone that knows ducks – became renamed Rhodonessa rufina (Livezey 1996) [adjacent image shows male Red-crested pochard]. ❋ Darren Naish (2006)

The most numerous species are wigeon Anas penelope (39,000: 112,000 in the1970s), common pochard Aythya ferina (120,000 in 1971) and coot Fulica atra (36,000: 188,000 in 1973). ❋ Unknown (2008)

Among the latter is the Pink-headed duck Rhodonessa caryophyllacea [image at left], a highly distinctive pochard of India and Bangladesh, named in 1790 and widely regarded as having gone extinct in the 1930s or 1940s. ❋ Darren Naish (2006)

In the east, the Madagascar pochard (Aythya innotata) has only been recorded three times since 1960; the Alaotra grebe (Tachybaptus rufolavatus, CR) has not been confirmed in the last decade. ❋ Unknown (2008)

Nylon monofilament gill-nets, hidden by local fishermen in open water or at the bases of aquatic plants, are thought to have seriously affected diving birds, including the pochard as well as grebes (Young & Smith 1989). ❋ Darren Naish (2006)

Other notable species include South American pochard Netta erythrophthalma and golden-plumed conure Leptosittaca branickii (VU). ❋ Unknown (2008)

As an extinct species, the Madagascar pochard would join a long and sorry list of recently extinct wildfowl, many of which were endemic to small islands. ❋ Darren Naish (2006)

So back to the latest news from the world of pochards: the amazing rediscovery of the Madagascar pochard, also known as the Madagascar white-eye. ❋ Darren Naish (2006)

Don't know who Glyn is but if he found the MIA pochard, I tip my hat. ❋ Darren Naish (2006)

The Pink-headed duck and Red-crested pochard are hypothesised to be sister-taxa, and hence any decision about their generic status is down to opinion about how different, or similar, they are. ❋ Darren Naish (2006)