The rosy-billed pochard (Netta peposaca), alternatively named rosybill or rosybill pochard, is a member of family Anatidae. Though classified as a diving duck, this pochard feeds more like a dabbling duck feeding on seeds roots, sedges, aquatic plants and other grasses. Netta is Ancient Greek for "duck" and peposaca is a transcription of the Guaraní name of this species which means "showy wings", referring to the broad white stripe that is only visible with stretched out wings. Male characteristic features include a bright red bill with a rounded knob at the base.
The rosy-billed pochard is endemic to South America. It is found in Argentina, central Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay and southern Brazil. The population in southern Argentina migrates northward during the austral winter, reaching Brazil and southern Bolivia. It is a vagrant to the Falkland Islands.
Taxonomy
The rosy-billed pochard is one of five pochard species that make up the genus Netta, which is one of 31 genera of the subfamily Anatinae. Within subfamily Anatinae, there is a tribe called Aythini. This tribe was thought to be limited to the Northern Hemisphere (what was believed to be the Palearctic), and experienced three or four bursts of speciation, one of which was by the ancestor of the rosy-billed and southern pochards. The species is highly autapomorphic and is placed in a sister-group with the southern pochard, but evidence for this relationship is lacking. Males have a purplish-black head, neck and breast with gray sides, a white area on the crissum (the area around the cloaca), and a bright red bill and red eyes. Despite these pochards being strong fliers, their blunt-tipped wings require a faster wing-beats than that of many ducks and they have some trouble taking off. Seasonal dry periods are common in central Argentina and they force birds to move towards larger water areas in late summer. By early fall, these areas are often dry and individuals are forced to move to find more water and better food sources elsewhere. However, their diet is dominated by seed consumption.
Use by humans
Rosy-billed pochards are commonly used by humans for consumption, as pets/display animals and even in horticulture.
Ownership of individuals is relatively accessible and they can be purchased even online.
Conservation status
Current population trends show that populations are increasing and are not severely fragmented.