Red-crested Pochard

Netta rufina (Pallas, 1773)

		male female
2014-05-04 Chuya Steppe, Altai Republic. 2014-05-04 Chuya Steppe, Altai Republic.	© Sergey Pisarevskiy © Sergey Pisarevskiy

Distribution

Breeds in steppe and forest-steppe of Western Siberia. Vagrant to the north, and to the east, up to south of Central Siberia.

Biology

Common, locally numerous, breeding migrant. Inhabits fresh and salty lakes with reed-beds and large areas of open deep water on plains. Arrives somewhat later than other ducks. Migration finishes in mid-May. Migrating in small (one-two dozen) flocks, in pairs and singly. Nest is built in shallow hollow from dry grass stems and down, on ground near water under cover of bushes, or more often in reed-clamps among water, from dry reed leaves and lined with down. Breeds in separate pairs or in small groups of 5-15 pairs close together often with Ferruginous Duck. Clutches of 5-12 eggs in second half of April, but mostly in May. Female builds nest and incubates 28 days roughly. Juveniles hatch from mid-May to early July. They fly end of July – late August. After females begin to incubate, males gather on lakes with deep water and reed beds in big numbers and moult (end June – July). Autumn migration (in big flocks up to hundred and more birds) begins September. In southern areas they migrate in October up to water freezing.

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Сибири". Москва-Екатеринбург, Изд-во "Кабинетный ученый", 2014.