Rosey Billed Pouchard
The Rosy-billed Pochard or simply Rosybill is among the most striking of southern South American ducks. The male is largely black with gray sides his most prominent is the bright red bill and a red eye. The bill itself has a large rounded knob at the base, which is bright crimson, while the rest of the bill gradually fades towards a pale pinkish towards the tip. As in most ducks the female is not as colorful and she is a chestnut brown color with a black bill.
Rosey-Bills are not aggressive and can do well in a mixed collection. As with most members of the pouchard family they can be somewhat parasitic and will often dump eggs in the nest of other birds.
Breeding season is in the spring. Nest are made on the ground under natural cover or in nest boxes. Males of this species will sometimes mate with one than one female and we often keep 2 hens per 1 male.
Clutches consist of 6-12 cream colored eggs which are incubated for about 29 days. The ducklings are easy to raise and present no special challenges.
