Southern Pochard ( Netta erythrophthalma, family: Anatidae)
The Southern Pochard (Latin name Netta erythrophthalma) is described in
Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique
Roberts number of 113 and you will find a full description of this bird
on page 116 also a picture of the Southern Pochard on page 96. The
Southern Pochard belongs to the family of birds classified as Anatidae.
According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the
Southern Pochard is also known by these other names: Red-eyed Pochard,
African Pochard, South African Pochard.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Southern Pochard is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Southern Pochard in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Southern Pochard : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Southern Pochard is a largish bird a bit smaller than a Pied Crow. The height of the Southern Pochard is about 51 cms and its weight is about 800 gms
The male and female Southern Pochard have the same plumage and colours
- Head is brown.
- Eye is red, brown.
- Bill is blue, grey.
- Throat is white.
- Back is brown.
- Legs are grey.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Southern Pochard feeds in or around water mainly
Invertebrates
Seeds
Aquatic life forms
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Southern Pochard is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Netta erythrophthalma will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Southern Pochard is to create the nest on the ground or close to water. The bird lays eggs which are brown in colour and number between 6 to 15
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Southern Pochard are: wetlands
You will normally see the Southern Pochard in flocks.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Bruineend
German ... Rotaugenente
Portuguese ... Zarro-africano
French ... Nette brune
Dutch ... Zuidelijke Tafeleend, Bruine Krooneend
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 113
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
