Southern pochard

Southern pochard (Netta erythrophthalma)

Phylum —chordata
Class — aves
Order — anseriformes
Family — anatidae

Genus –netta

Appearance

It is a medium-sized species measuring about 43cm in length. Males and females are similar and have red or yellow eyes and dark-brown coloring, a bluish beak and wings with a broad white stripe visible only in flight.

Habitat

It is found in North and South America, as well as in Africa south of the Sahara (Eritrea and Angola through to southern Africa). In southern Africa it can be found where there are wetlands with deep, clear water and emergent vegetation.

Behavior

Southern pochards are sociable and gregarious. They have been seen in groups of up to 5,000.

Diet

The southern pochard eats mainly aquatic plants, which it finds when diving. Also, the adults tend to feed on larvae, pupae, aquatic animals, and plant material.

Reproduction

These birds are solitary nesters, building nests out of leaves and stems on the banks of a river surrounded by vegetation. The female southern pochard lays a clutch consisting of six to fifteen eggs. The female incubates the eggs for 20 to 28 days. Once the eggs hatch, the mother leads them immediately to water.

The chicks feed for themselves, with the female disturbing floating vegetation by sweeping its bill while the chicks grab bits of food. The chicks eat about 20% insects and 80% plant matter.

In captivity

In captivity, southern pochards can live up to 20 years.

Southern pochards are kept in flocks, as they are social birds. Keepers make a sufficiently deep pool or natural reservoir for them.Pochards can easily survive in cold weather. For them, a small hole is cut in the frozen water, and hay is placed on the shore so that the birds can warm themselves on it. In windy weather keepers canconstruct plastic shields protecting birds from the wind on the side of the nest with hay.

The diet of pochards consists of mixed feed, grain mixture, fish and minced meat.Minced meat can be given separately or mixed with grain. Also feed for laying hens is suitable for pochards.