THE POCHARD 



these Ducks habitually dive for their food. The Pochard 

 spends most of its time on the water, swimming and 

 diving, rarely visiting the land, where its gait is awkward 

 and waddling. It dives with the same celerity as a 

 Grebe. It is capable of rapid flight, but its progress 

 when just rising is rather slow and laboured. It feeds 

 both by day and night. Its principal food is of a vegetable 

 nature — water weeds and marine plants — but insects, 

 worms, molluscs, and crustaceans are also sought. It 

 frequents fresh water as well as the sea, and during winter 

 is more or less gregarious. In our islands the Pochard 

 breeds in May, and the nest, always placed near to fresh 

 water, is made amongst the dense, coarse vegetation round 

 the banks, and in many cases is a floating structure. It 

 is made of dry grass and other vegetable refuse, lined with 

 down. The eight to fourteen eggs are greenish grey. 

 The note of this Duck is a harsh kurr. 



The diagnostic characters of the Pochard are the 

 chestnut head and neck, and white vermiculated with 

 black lower back (male) ; the white axillaries, white 

 vermiculations on the upper parts, and absence of a 

 white speculum (female). Length 17 to 19 inches. 



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