Red Crested Pochard Duck Juvenile Pair

Red Crested Pochard Duck Juvenile Pair

IMPORTANT ORDERING INFORMATION: Exotic ducks are shipped on Wednesdays, USPS Priority Mail Express, and will typically arrive in 1-2 days at your local post office. Exotic ducks are not available for pickup. Shipping cost is $50.00 per pair. Duck wings can be pinioned, clipped or flying.

The Red Crested Pochard Duck, Netta rufina, is native to Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. Males have a handsome, rounded head with bright orange coloring. The male’s body is black on the breast and tail, with brown and buff feathering. The female Red Crested Pochard is mostly brown with a darker brown crown and splashes of white on the face. Their bills are red.

The Red Crested Pochard is a very social species that will enjoy the company of other diving duck species and therefore can be easily kept in a mixed flock. Pochards build a ground nest near water in dense vegetation. During courtship, the male brings the female food offerings--the Red Crested Pochard is the only duck species with this behavior. Females lay 6-14 pale green eggs that will take 26-28 days to hatch. In the wild, Red Crested Pochard ducks will eat seeds, roots, and stems of aquatic vegetation. Ducks kept in captivity should be fed a waterfowl diet and offered clumps of earth if not allowed access to foraging ground.

A Red Crested Pochard duck’s average body length is 20-23 inches long and can weigh up to 2 pounds. Wingspan is 33 to 35 inches. As with any exotic duck species, they are excellent fliers.