Scientific name: Netta rufina (Pallas, 1773)
Bird group: Ducks
Field characters. 53-57 cm. A large, plump-bodied diving bird with a big, rounded head. Male with crimson bill, rich golden chestnut head and brown upperparts; neck, breast, upper tail-coverts and underparts glossy black; flanks and sides of belly white, contrasting with broad black stripe on centre of belly. Feathers on crown form erectile crest. In male flight-feathers form broad white band on upper wing, extending nearly the whole length of expanded wing; forewing dull brown. Female with brownish upperparts, pale brown flanks and breast suffused with yellowish white, belly greyer; forehead, crown and nape dark brown, contrasting with grey-white lores and cheeks; bill dark horn-brown with deep pink band behind nail; in flight wing pattern as in male but duller. Male in eclipse resembles adult female but with red bill and eye, more pronounced crest, and whiter wing.
Voice. Usually silent but male utters rasping wheeze in spring and female has hard, grating "churr".
Distribution. Local and rare, partly resident. Probably decreasing throughout range.
Habitat. Prefers large, reed-fringed, moderately deep lakes but in western Europe also on small pools flanked with dense emergent vegetation.
Food. Feeds on vegetable matter by diving and by dabbling, occasionally taking aquatic insects, small fish, and frogs, crustaceans, molluscs.
Eggs. Unmarked; ground colour light stone, occasionally tinged green. Texture smooth, not glossy. Shape subelliptical/short subelliptical. Size 58 x 42 mm (53-62 x 39-45), weight 56 g (47-69) for eggs laid in captivity.