A rare diving duck, a species which is heading for extinction with fewer than 1,000 in the wild, was spotted lately by a photographer in southwest China's Sichuan Province.
The finding of Baer's pochard at a lake in the city of Chengdu in mid-November was confirmed by the provincial forestry bureau experts.
"The lone pochard was found paddling on the lake of Xinglong. A local bird watcher and photographer surnamed Yang caught it in his camera," said Wu Jiawei, deputy director of Chengdu Birding Association.
A male Baer's pochard has a dark grey to black neck and back, light brownish-red chest and sides, and a white belly. The head has a dark green sheen. A female has mostly brown coloring on its body.
The diving ducks breed in northeast Asia and migrate to the south for winter. The migration usually starts in mid-October.
Sichuan is on many birds' migration routes, but spotting of the Baer's pochard was rare in recent years. The species only was seen in 2008, 2013, and 2016.
Long Yanlun, a wildlife specialist with Sichuan provincial forestry bureau, said that as ecology of the region's wetlands recovers due to increased conservation efforts, more birds will be seen.
