The adult male has a long dark bill with a grey band, a red head and neck, a black breast, red eyes and a grey back.
The adult female has a brown head and body and a narrower grey bill-band.
The triangular head shape is distinctive.
Pochards are superficially similar to the closely related North American redhead and canvasback.

Females give hoarse growls.
Males have whistles cut off by a final nasal note aaoo-oo-haa.
The adult male has a long dark bill with a grey band, a red head and neck, a black breast, red eyes and a grey back. The adult female has a brown head and body and a narrower grey bill-band. The triangular head shape is distinctive. Pochards are superficially similar to the closely related North American redhead and canvasback.
Females give hoarse growls. Males have whistles cut off by a final nasal note aaoo-oo-haa.
Common pochard