Rare red-crested pochard spotted in Syktyvkar, baffling birdwatchers

A rare red-crested pochard has been spotted in Syktyvkar. Photographer Tamara Popova shared images of the red-headed duck on social media.

"The red-crested pochard (a male) and his companions—mallards and drakes—have 'relocated' along the Sysola River near Kirov Park," she wrote. "Just as unassuming and friendly as ever. Sometimes he keeps to himself. Where did he come from in our city? And he even wintered here with the whole duck company!"

Sergei Kochapov, a research fellow at the Institute of Biology of the Komi Science Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a candidate of biological sciences, confirmed to Komiinform that the bird in the photo is indeed a red-crested pochard.

"In Komi, this is a fairly rare species, not observed every year. And for diving ducks, March is very early—they usually arrive only in May," the ornithologist noted.

The red-crested pochard is listed on the IUCN Red List as vulnerable. Experts cite the drying up and overgrowth of water bodies—driven by both climate change and human activity—as the primary threats to the species.