Rosy-billed pochard

Language English

Onglets

Description

Distinguishing features

The rosy-billed pochard is easily recognized by the bright red, rounded knob at the base of its bill. The bill fades to pale pink toward the tip and ends in a black band. The male’s head and neck are glossy black.

Its dark grey back contrasts with its much lighter flanks. The male’s bright red eyes are another distinctive feature. The female, less conspicuous, has fairly uniform brown plumage and a grey bill with a black tip.

Reproduction

Breeding takes place in the southern spring, from October to November. At this time of year, the male adopts distinctive postures and bobs his head to court the female. His role is limited to mating, and he does not take part in any other aspect of reproduction.

The female builds her nest from grasses and other plant material, lining it with down. The nest is hidden in dense vegetation near the water, often on a vegetated islet. She lays an average of 8 to 10 eggs, which she incubates alone for about 27 to 29 days. The rosy-billed pochard will sometimes lay its eggs in the nest of another species.

The ducklings are precocial and leave the nest soon after hatching, following their mother to calm waters where they begin feeding actively.

Diet

Like many wetland ducks, the rosy-billed pochard dabbles for food. It tips its body forward, lowering its head to the bottom of the marsh to probe the mud with its bill. This allows it to reach aquatic plants and small invertebrates a few centimetres below the surface.

Its diet is mainly herbivorous and includes aquatic plants, seeds, stems, and roots. It also eats small aquatic invertebrates, insect larvae, and molluscs, especially during the breeding season, when its energy needs increase.

Predators

Adults have few natural predators, but eggs and young are vulnerable. Potential predators in their range include South American foxes and raccoons, birds of prey such as hawks and caracaras, and opportunistic waterbirds such as herons.

Habitat

The rosy-billed pochard inhabits freshwater wetlands, including lakes, lagoons, marshes, and shallow ponds rich in emergent vegetation.

Native to South America, the species is well established in Argentina and Uruguay. It is also frequently observed in southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Chile.

Ecology, behaviour

Outside the breeding season, this duck becomes gregarious and often forms mixed flocks. A partial migrant, it moves in response to the availability of wetland habitats, especially seasonal changes in water levels. These movements generally take place from south to north, allowing it to avoid the southern winter from June to August.

The species plays an important role in seed dispersal and contributes to the plant dynamics of wetlands. In some regions, however, it is considered a nuisance because it consumes large quantities of seeds in rice fields.

French name

Nette demi-deuil

Scientific name

Netta peposaca

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Birds

Order

Anseriformes

Family

Anatidae (geese and ducks)

Size

About 60 cm long

Weight

About 1.2 kg, with the male slightly heavier

Life span

• In the wild: 8 to 10 years • In captivity: up to 20 years

Status

Stable populations

At the Biodôme

A pair of rosy-billed pochards can be seen on the lake in the Tropical Rainforest ecosystem, where they share the habitat with red-footed tortoises and capybaras. At times, one of the pochards may climb onto a capybara’s back to look for bits of food caught in its fur. Both species are especially fond of the straw bedding provided for their resting periods.

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