Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina

At one time we used to agonise over whether or not records of Red-crested Pochards in the UK related to wild vagrants from the Continent or escapees from captivity. We might have given those in "wild" settings with wintering wildfowl the benefit of the doubt but poured scorn on tame birds associating with Mallards for example. More recently Red-crested Pochards have spread in Europe and have become commoner in the UK, with breeding taking place at least sporadically in some places. Whether some breeding birds have feral origins may not always be clear but for the most part most people seem to be content to count them as wild.

Pale (leucistic or some other pigment-deficiency condition) birds are frequent among captive populations.

Red-crested Pochards, Ebro Delta (Tarragona, Spain), 20th May 2013

Red-crested Pochards, Quinta do Lago (Algarve, Portugal), 15th April 2006

Red-crested Pochard, Bittering (Norfolk, UK), 10th June 2013

Red-crested Pochard, Bittering (Norfolk, UK), 2nd July 2013

Red-crested Pochards, Swanton Morley fishing lakes (Norfolk, UK), 27th August 2007

Red-crested Pochards, Titchwell (Norfolk, UK), 20th March 2009

Red-crested Pochard (with Northern Shoveler), Titchwell (Norfolk, UK), 3rd June 2017

Red-crested Pochard, Titchwell (Norfolk, UK), 4th June 2016

captive Red-crested Pochards, Pensthorpe (Norfolk, UK), 9th March 2014

captive Red-crested Pochard, Grange-over-Sands collection (Cumbria, UK), 28th December 2011

captive Red-crested Pochards, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 15th October 2011

captive Red-crested Pochard, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 16th April 2011

captive Red-crested Pochard, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 17th September 2011

captive Red-crested Pochard, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 18th January 2004

captive Red-crested Pochard, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 25th September 2012

captive Red-crested Pochards (with Greater Scaup), Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 4th December 2010

captive Red-crested Pochards, St James's Park (London, UK), 15th July 2013

captive Red-crested Pochard, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 6th October 2012

captive Red-crested Pochards, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 16th May 2009

captive Red-crested Pochard, Blakeney Quayside collection (Norfolk, UK), 23rd December 2015

A lot of captive-bred birds used to be released in this area for shooting, so given this bird's pale flight feathers I imagine it wasn't a wild bird.

probably escaped or released Red-crested Pochard, Flixton gravel pits (Suffolk, UK), 11th February 2012

Red-crested Pochard, Holkham Park (Norfolk, UK), 4th February 2012

captive Red-crested Pochards (with White-headed Duck), Martin Mere (Lancashire, UK), 28th December 2003

captive Red-crested Pochard, Pensthorpe (Norfolk, UK), 15th May 2023