Baer's Pochard
Encyclopedia
Baer's Pochard is a diving duck
found in eastern Asia
. It breeds in southeast Russia
and northeast China
, migrating in winter to southern China, Vietnam
, Japan
, and India
. The name commemorates the Estonian naturalist Karl Ernst von Baer
.
At 41–46 cm, it is similar in size and stance to its close relative the Ferruginous Duck
(A. nyroca), although the coloration of the drakes (males) is entirely different. Baer's Pochard males are similar to those of the Greater Scaup
(A. marila), but have a dark back and upper flanks; the white lower flanks and belly are conspicuous. The females of Baer's Pochard and the Ferruginous Duck are quite similar, but that holds true for the females of almost all Aythya
species
. Eclipse males resemble females, but retain the white eye.
Formerly classified as a vulnerable species
by the IUCN, recent research shows that its numbers are decreasing more and more rapidly. It was consequently uplisted to endangered status in 2008. Between 1987 and 2007, there were only eleven reports of groups of 100+ birds in mainland China. A recent census by WWF China of Hubei province found just 131 individuals on Liangzihu Lake, and only another three flocks of ten, eight, and three individuals at other sites. Hunting and wetland destruction are thought to be the causes of the decline; unconfirmed reports from eastern China suggest that as many as 3,000 individuals may be hunted every year.
Diving duck
The diving ducks, commonly called pochards or scaups, are a category of duck which feed by diving beneath the surface of the water. They are part of the diverse and very large Anatidae family that includes ducks, geese, and swans....
found in eastern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It breeds in southeast Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and northeast China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, migrating in winter to southern China, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The name commemorates the Estonian naturalist Karl Ernst von Baer
Karl Ernst von Baer
Karl Ernst Ritter von Baer, Edler von Huthorn also known in Russia as Karl Maksimovich Baer was an Estonian naturalist, biologist, geologist, meteorologist, geographer, a founding father of embryology, explorer of European Russia and Scandinavia, a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a...
.
At 41–46 cm, it is similar in size and stance to its close relative the Ferruginous Duck
Ferruginous Duck
The Ferruginous Duck is a medium-sized diving duck from Eurasia. The species is known colloquially by birders as "Fudge Duck"....
(A. nyroca), although the coloration of the drakes (males) is entirely different. Baer's Pochard males are similar to those of the Greater Scaup
Greater Scaup
The Greater Scaup , just Scaup in Europe, or colloquially known as "Bluebill", for its bright blue bill, is small compared to other diving ducks, however it is larger than the closely related Lesser Scaup...
(A. marila), but have a dark back and upper flanks; the white lower flanks and belly are conspicuous. The females of Baer's Pochard and the Ferruginous Duck are quite similar, but that holds true for the females of almost all Aythya
Aythya
Aythya is a genus of diving ducks. It has twelve described species.Aythya shihuibas was described from the Late Miocene of China. An undescribed prehistoric species is known only from Early Pleistocene fossil remains found at Dursunlu, Turkey; it might however be referrable to a paleosubspecies of...
species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. Eclipse males resemble females, but retain the white eye.
Formerly classified as a vulnerable species
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
by the IUCN, recent research shows that its numbers are decreasing more and more rapidly. It was consequently uplisted to endangered status in 2008. Between 1987 and 2007, there were only eleven reports of groups of 100+ birds in mainland China. A recent census by WWF China of Hubei province found just 131 individuals on Liangzihu Lake, and only another three flocks of ten, eight, and three individuals at other sites. Hunting and wetland destruction are thought to be the causes of the decline; unconfirmed reports from eastern China suggest that as many as 3,000 individuals may be hunted every year.