American ornithologist Bradley Curtis Livezey published a phylogenetic study based on morphological data in 1996, in which he proposed his view on the relationship among Tribe Aythyini. Baer's pochard, ferruginous duck, hardhead and Madagascar pochard are classified in Subgenus Nyroca (the "white-eyes"), intrasubgenus relationship is unclear, but the ferruginous duck was suggested to be the sister group of Baer's pochard. The Subgenus Aythya (the "scapu", including New Zealand Scaup, ring-necked duck, tufted duck, greater scaup and lesser scaup) is the sister group of Subgenus Nyroca. And the Subgenus Aristonetta (the "redheads", including the common pochard, canvasback and redhead) is the sister group of all other pochards. Two molecular phylogenetic studies on Anseriformes or Anatidae were published in 2000s, some mitochondrial genes were sequenced, but Baer's pochard was absent in both of them. The mitochondrial genome of Baer's pochard was sequenced and published in a 2021 study. It has a 16,623 bp long circular DNA, similar to other pochards. It is also similar to other Anatidae species in genome structure, gene arrangement and orientation. The phylogenetic relationship among Baer's pochard and other closely related species previously sequenced was reconstructed. Trees based on Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood showed congruent topology and both well-supported: Description The Baer's pochard is long with a wingspan. The male is slightly larger, weighing on average , wings lengthed , tail at , and culmen at . Relatively, the female weighing on average , wings lengthed , tail at , and culmen at . Both male and female's tarsometatarsus lengthed . Breeding male has a black head and neck with green gloss, white or paler yellow eyes, blackish-brown back, dark chestnut breast, white or light chestnut flanks and a short and low tail. The green gloss on its head is unique among Aythya. While it is likely to look completely black in poor light. Female has a dark brown head and neck that blend into the chestnut-brown breast and flanks. Eclipse and first-winter male resembles female, but retain the white eyes, while female has brown eyes. Both male and female have wide white speculum feathers, white vent-side, dark-grey bill, black nail and dark-grey tarsometatarsus. It is similar to its close relative, the ferruginous duck (A. nyroca), both have white vent-side and iris in males, black nail, and wide white speculum feathers. Although Baer's pochard is bigger, has a longer head, body and bill. Unlike the ferruginous duck's