Red-crested Pochard

Red-crested pochards have a broad Palearctic distribution, with breeding populations extending from the British Isles eastward to China. They prefer nutrient-rich ponds and lakes bordered by emergent salt-tolerant plants and beds of aquatic vegetation. They also breed beside slow-flowing rivers containing open-water clearings and around islands covered with shrubs and grasses. Adults are relatively large ducks, measuring 50 to 65 centimeters long, weighing 1 to 1.4 kilograms, and carrying a wingspan of approximately 85 to 90 centimeters. (Animal Diversity Web)

These pochards are primarily herbivorous. During breeding they feed on aquatic plants and algae, while outside the breeding season they also consume sedges, tape-grasses, rice, seeds, and some fungi. Birds form monogamous pairs during winter, with bonds developing through spring migration, and they nest either as isolated pairs or in loose colonies. Females provide parental care. Clutches contain six to fourteen eggs, incubation lasts 26 to 28 days, and the young generally fledge after approximately 35 to 40 days. (Animal Diversity Web)