Red-crested Pochards

The Red-crested Pochard is larger than the Common Pochard, males having an orange-brown head with a red beak and pale flanks and females being largely brown with pale cheeks.

There is a large population of Red-crested Pochards in Spain and smaller numbers in France, Netherlands and Germany. Occasional wild birds may come to the UK from Europe but UK breeding birds almost certainly all come from escaped birds. They can be found all year round mainly in southern and eastern England where small breeding populations have become established.

Date: 05/04/07

Location: Hanningfield Reservoir, Essex