Ferruginous Duck

Aythya nyroca (Guldenstadt, 1770)

		male female
2016-03-26 Mramornoe, Chuy valley 2020-05-30 Ozernoe Chui Valley	© Irina Romanovskaia © Irina Romanovskaia

Biology

Currently a rare breeding migrant; before common. Inhabits deep lakes with rich reed-bed and other vegetation. Appears early March – late April, sometimes even in early May. Migrates in small groups of 10-30 birds and occasionally in pairs. Nest is built in reed-beds, on floating old reed stems, muskrat homes or very rarely at edge of water under cover of bushes, from old reed leaves and lined with down. Clutches of 6-15 eggs early May – end of June. Only female incubates 25-28 days, male stay nearby. Juveniles hatch early June – mid-July, and begin to fly end July – August. Often both parents rear brood. No moult migration or moult concentration recorded. Autumn migration begins last 10 days of September; some birds recorded end October – mid-November.

References

Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Урала, Приуралья и Западной Сибири". Екатеринбург. Изд-во Уральского университета, 2000.