Common Pochard vs Greater Scaup

Aythya ferina compared with Aythya marila

Key Differences

• Common Pochard is Near Threatened while Greater Scaup is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Pochard	Greater Scaup
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Aves (Birds)	Aves (Birds)
Order same	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)	Anseriformes (Anseriformes)
Family same	Anatidae	Anatidae
Genus same	Aythya	Aythya
Species	Aythya ferina	Aythya marila

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Pochard and Greater Scaup share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Aythya.

Conservation Status

Common Pochard

NT — Near Threatened

Greater Scaup

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Pochard	Greater Scaup
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

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.

Greater Scaup

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and United States. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Greater Scaup

Greater Scaup (Aythya marila) is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List. Facing a high risk of endangerment in the wild, with declining populations and increasing habitat pressure.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 5 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden 🇺🇸 United States