Southern Pochard

Southern Pochard
Female Southern Pochard
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Anseriformes
Family:	Anatidae
Subfamily:	Aythyinae
Genus:	Netta
Species:	N. erythrophthalma
Binomial name
Netta erythrophthalma (Wied-Neuwied, 1833)
Synonyms
Anas erythrophthalma Wied-Neuwied, 1833 Metopiana erythropthalma (Wied-Neuwied, 1833)

The Southern Pochard (Netta erythrophthalma) is a duck.

There are two subspecies, the South American (Southern) Pochard N. e. erythrophthalma (Wied-Neuwied, 1833) and the African (Southern) Pochard N. e. brunnea (Eyton, 1838).

The South American Pochard has a fragmented range and is found from Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina to Chile. Here it occurs in a wide variety of shallow fresh waters with submerged vegetation, from the lowlands up to 3,700 metres.

The African Pochard occurs from the Cape to the Ethiopian highlands on water bodies with or without emergent vegetation. They are suspected to have been strong migrants in the past but the construction of numerous farm dams seems to allow them a more sedentary lifestyle. They reach highest concentrations in Africa's central plateaus and in the south-western winter rainfall region.

This bird is sociable and gregarious. It has been seen in groups of up to 5,000. The clutch consists of six to fifteen eggs.

References

• Boletín SAO XVI (01): 7. 
• BirdLife International (2004). "Netta erythrophthalma". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2006. International Union for Conservation of Nature. http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/47214. Retrieved 12 May 2006. 
• Maclean, G.L.; Harrison, J.A.. "Southern Pochard". The atlas of southern African birds. Volume 1: Non-passerines.