Baer's pochard Baer's pochard Baer's pochard ("Aythya baeri") is a diving duck found in eastern Asia. It breeds in southeast Russia and northeast China, migrating in winter to southern China, Vietnam, Japan, and India. The name commemorates the Estonian naturalist Karl Ernst von Baer. At , it is similar in size and stance to its close relative, the ferruginous duck ("A. nyroca"), although the coloration of the drakes (males) is entirely different. Baer's pochard males are similar to those of the greater scaup ("A. marila"), but have a dark back and upper flanks; the white lower flanks and belly are conspicuous. The
What Bird is That? according to their usual habitat. The accompanying text included brief notes on distribution, breeding and behaviour. While initial sales were poor, history tells us that Cayley had accurately discerned a market need and successfully responded to it. During WWII sales accelerated and Cayley’s first collection, reprinted time and time again, eventually became a household name among birdwatchers and the book was recognised as an Australian classic. The original sponsorship of "What Bird is That?" proved a great investment for the Gould League, who benefited from the sale of its numerous reprints and revised editions. By 1960, it was rated the