Editing Common pochard (section)

== Taxonomy and systematics ==
Swedish taxonomist [[Carl Linnaeus]] first assigned a [[scientific name]] to the common pochard in the tenth edition of his landmark treatise [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|Systema Naturae]]; this was the first edition which included such names. He called the duck ''Anas ferina''.{{sfn|Linnaeus|1758|p=126}} In 1822, German zoologist [[Friedrich Boie]] created the genus ''[[Aythya]]'' for various [[Diving duck|diving ducks]], and moved the common pochard to that new genus.{{sfn|Boie|1822|p=564}} Uptake of ''Aythya'' as the genus for the common pochard was mixed for much of the next century, with some authors leaving the duck in the genus ''Anas'' or assigning it to various other now-defunct genera instead.{{sfn|Baird|Brewer|Ridgway|1884|p=28}} The common pochard is considered a [[superspecies]] with the [[canvasback]].{{sfn|Carboneras|1992|p=616}} In the past, the [[Redhead (bird)|redhead]] of North America was thought to be a subspecies,{{sfn|Baird|Brewer|Ridgway|1884|p=28}} but the common pochard is now agreed to be [[monotypic]], with no subspecies.{{sfn|Gill|Donsker|Rasmussen|2021}} It is known to have [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridised]] with [[tufted duck]] and [[ferruginous duck]] in captivity, and these known combinations resemble suspected hybrids seen in the wild, which may share the same parentage.{{sfn|Madge|Burn|1988|p=244}} Hybridisations with the [[red-crested pochard]] have also been reported.{{sfn|Randler|2008|p=144}}

The genus name ''Aythya'' is derived from the [[Ancient Greek]] word ''aithuia'', an unidentified [[seabird]] mentioned by authors including [[Hesychius of Miletus|Hesychius]] and [[Aristotle]].{{sfn|Jobling|2010|p=64}} The [[species name]] is the [[Latin]] word ''ferina'', meaning "wild game" (derived from ''ferus'', meaning "wild").{{sfn|Jobling|2010|p=158}} The common name "pochard" was first applied to the duck in the mid-1500s; its origin and etymology is unknown.{{sfn|Lexico|2021|ref=Lexico}} It is also sometimes known as '''European pochard''', '''Eurasian pochard''', or (particularly in the UK) simply '''pochard'''.{{sfn|Madge|Burn|1988|p=246}}