Identifying Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca

Wildfowl watching in HK is usually not as enjoyable as in Japan, but sometimes, rare ducks in HK can still give you good view.

One summer, a male Ferruginous Duck was found and a twitch was made successfully. Identifying a male Ferruginous Duck in HK is not problematic: smart white iris, reddish tone on head, flank, and upper breast and white vent and undertail coverts. It lacks the pale whitish flanks which usually occur on Baer's Pochard, a species which can be confused with when both are in female or immature plumage.

In general, the Ferruginous Duck is extremely similar to Hardhead and Madagascar Pochard, luckily they do not overlap in theory.

Ferruginous Duck in Aug 2014, Hong Kong