Brown Rat vs Common Pochard

Rattus norvegicus compared with Aythya ferina

Key Differences

• Brown Rat is Least Concern while Common Pochard is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Rat	Common Pochard
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Rodentia (Rodents)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family	Muridae (Mice & Rats)	Anatidae
Genus	Rattus	Aythya
Species	Rattus norvegicus	Aythya ferina

Evolutionary Relationship

Brown Rat and Common Pochard share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Brown Rat

LC — Least Concern

Common Pochard

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Rat	Common Pochard
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Rat

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 10 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (11 countries), Asia (15 countries), Europe (41 countries), North America (16 countries), Oceania and the Pacific (10 countries), and South America (10 countries).

Common Pochard

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (8 countries), and North America (United States). Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Brown Rat

Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.

Common Pochard

Common Pochard (Aythya ferina) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 10 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇫🇷 France 🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇹🇼 Taiwan 🇬🇧 United Kingdom 🇺🇸 United States