When I was admiring the large swarms (thousands of) Eurasian Wigeons in the Reeuwijk lakes in the spring (that was really, really great to view!) I also saw this beautiful duck with its striking red-brown crest, the male of the Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) (Dutch: Krooneend). Sometimes that crest was set up and its head looked even bigger than in this photo.

The Red-crested pochard can be confused with the Common Pochard (Dutch: Tafeleend especially later in the year when the orange color disappears. The Red-crest makes very easy to distinguish it from the Common Pochard. When the beautiful plumage has disappeared (until autumn) you can still distinguish it by the beautiful bright red beak. The female, more gray-brown, is clearly distinguishable from the Common Pochard female by the pink tip on her beak.

It was a rare breeding bird until 1990 in the Netherlands, but because the water quality has improved since then and with it the occurrence of Characeae (Dutch: Kroonwier) (most of the menu consists of them) they have increased considerably in numbers and you see them more and more often in the Netherlands.

Well-known places where Red-crested Pochard are regularly observed are the Vinkeveense plassen, the Gouwzee (between Marken and Monnikendam) and the Randmeren (around Flevoland).

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