Pochard

Pochard (aythya ferina). It is widespread widely enough - from British isles up to Baikal. The border of distribution in the south reaches Black and Caspian seas, in the north passes on a wood zone. In Belarus nests on all reservoirs which are replying to the requirements of this kind. Pochard prefers to nest on large lakes and on the water basins, differing with high parameters of a benthos’ biomass and necessary protective conditions - presence of islands, quagmires or herrings of coastal vegetation. It is numerous on ponds of fishing households where are enough of food spread out for the fish. In fluvial meadows it nests only on extensive boggy spaces with numerous former riverbeds and coast of quagmire type. Nowadays the number of pochard continues to increase in Belarus continues to increase as a result of appearance of new fishing households. Economic value of pochard is insignificant (in comparison with river ducks). Even on reservoirs where its number is high, in extraction of hunters it makes no more than 20 % from all extracted ducks. It is explained by the difficulty of extraction of this kind of wildfowl at which fodder flights are expressed very poorly and the basic part of ducks is shot on evening and morning flights.